Chandigarh’s absurd digit obsession: Rs 15 lakh number plate for a Rs 55k scooter

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In the upscale sectors of Chandigarh, a vehicle’s status is no longer dictated by its make or model, but by the digits on its licence plate.

An analysis of official auction data reveals that residents of the city are paying astronomical sums, in some cases over twenty times the price of their vehicle, to secure a coveted single-digit registration number.

According to a report by TOI, records from the Chandigarh Administration’s Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA) detail a startling trend.

Between January 2020 and July 2025, a dozen single-digit ‘fancy’ numbers were auctioned, with winning bids dramatically eclipsing the value of the cars and scooters they were assigned to.

The data shows that in one of the most extreme examples from April 2022, a buyer paid an extraordinary Rs 15.44 lakh for a registration number to be fitted onto a two-wheeler that cost a mere Rs 55,585. This means the number plate itself was worth nearly 28 times more than the scooter it was attached to.

This was not an isolated incident. In June 2024, a two-wheeler priced at Rs 59,336 received a plate that had been auctioned for Rs 4.95 lakh.

Another case from August 2023 saw a Rs 64,024 vehicle paired with a number that fetched Rs 5.75 lakh. In total, nine two-wheelers, all valued under Rs 1.28 lakh, were assigned single-digit numbers that sold for sums ranging from Rs 1.70 lakh to the record Rs 15.44 lakh.

The phenomenon also extended to four-wheelers, though the disparity was less extreme. Three sedan owners purchased registration numbers for more than their car was worth.

The vehicles, priced between Rs 9.56 lakh and Rs 13.22 lakh, were outfitted with plates that had been auctioned for between Rs 12.21 lakh and a staggering Rs 24.40 lakh.

As reported by TOI, the motivation behind purchasing a premium number for a modest vehicle often involves a strategy to secure a desired digit for future use as one buyer explained: "I wanted a specific number for my future four-wheeler, so I first registered it with a two-wheeler and later transferred it."

In other instances, buyers registered the number with a four-wheeler that had not yet been delivered to ensure they did not miss out on the auction.

The data further indicates that the pursuit of this exclusive social currency is not limited to individuals. Of the twelve high-value numbers sold, five were purchased by companies or firms, underscoring the commercial and prestige value attached to these low-digit plates.