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Emirati politician, royal, ruler of Dubai, vice president and prime minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has added what is widely regarded as the world’s most valuable license plate, ‘Dubai 1’, to the front of his brand new AUD$350,000 Defender Octa. Quite a fine choice for the deserts of Dubai, one might say.
The news was shared by Jamal Hameedi, Director of SVO at Jaguar Land Rover, via a post on his Linkedin. “There are some people in this world who have access to any car from any manufacturer at any price. Sheikh Mohammad Al Maktoum (Ruler of Dubai) is absolutely one such person and a massive car enthusiast. You can imagine the cars in the Royal Court. Not surprisingly his was the first Octa delivery. But only one car gets the prized “1” plate. The car he uses every day,” he said in the post.
While the ‘Dubai 1’ plate has never changed hands at a public auction, the current record holder for the most expensive license plate in the world goes to the rare ‘Dubai P7’ plate that sold for a record USD$15 million in Dubai back in April 2023. Logically, this plate would be worth a whole lot more if it were ever to be sold.
The most expensive license plate ever sold in Australia is ‘NSW 1’ which sold for a record AUD$11,505,000 (+7.5 per cent buyer’s premium) at Lloyds Auctions in January 2024.
While rarely seen (and photographed) we’ve seen the ‘Dubai 1’ license plate affixed to the front of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Mercedes-AMG G-Class back in 2014. The image below showcases the ‘Brand Dubai’ style that was made available at the time. However today, Dubai’s Ruler has chosen the ‘Dubai Expo 2020’ style, which was made available back in 2020.
Understandably, the ‘Dubai 1’ license plate is reserved for the royals and will likely never be sold at a public auction. Still, it’s not hard to understand why it’s considered to be the most valuable license plate in the world because, with so much wealth in the country, it’s hard to stand out driving a Rolls-Royce in Dubai. The solution? Stick a low single-digit license plate to the front of your car that’s worth four or five times the price of the car you’re driving. Simply put, it’s the ultimate flex, and you can sleep easy at night knowing that no one else has the same plate as you.
We’re on board with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s choice of car too. The new Defender Octa is the most powerful Defender ever, producing 467kW (626hp) of power and up to 800Nm of torque in Dynamic Launch Mode, good for 0 to 100km/h in 4.0 seconds. It’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with high and low-range gears.
More information about the Defender Octa can be found in our feature article and the brand’s website, which is linked below.
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