VIP Fancy Number Plate Price List 2026: Cost by Series

If you want a registration number like 0001, 0007, or 0786 on your vehicle, the number itself has a price, and that price depends on the series it belongs to. The fancy number plate price is not a showroom charge: in India, coveted registration numbers are sold through the government’s e-auction on the Parivahan portal, and each state publishes a reserve price list by category. Below is the 2026 picture for Delhi, how the auction pushes the final cost above reserve, what other states charge, and how to work out the true total before you bid.

How Fancy Number Pricing Works in India

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways runs the official e-auction for choice and fancy numbers through the Fancy/Choice Number section of parivahan.gov.in. Every number is grouped into categories based on desirability. Each category carries a reserve price, which is the minimum anyone can bid. The final price is decided by competitive bidding: the highest bidder wins, and popular numbers routinely sell far above their reserve. Delhi’s published categories give the clearest picture of how the system is structured, and most states follow a similar five-tier pattern.

Delhi Fancy Number Plate Price List 2026

These are Delhi’s verified reserve prices by category:

On top of the reserve price, there is a registration fee of Rs 1,000, which is non-refundable. The reserve price itself doubles as refundable earnest money deposit (EMD): if you bid and lose the auction, the amount is returned to you. You only pay the reserve in full if you win at the reserve price with no competing bids.

What the Auction Actually Does to the Price

The reserve is the floor, not the price. When multiple people want the same number, bidding drives the final figure well above it. Reported past outcomes show how extreme this gets: Delhi’s number 0001 sold for Rs 7.70 lakh in one auction round, and in Delhi’s first e-auction the same 0001 fetched Rs 12.5 lakh. The number 0007 sold for Rs 6.55 lakh. These are reported outcomes from past auctions, not promises: every round depends on who shows up to bid, so a number that sold cheaply last year can attract a bidding war this year.

The practical takeaway: set your maximum before the auction opens and stop there. The system is designed so that desire, not logic, sets the ceiling, and it is easy to overpay for a number that nobody else valued that highly last month.

Fancy Number Prices in Other States (Indicative)

Reserve prices are set by each state and are revised periodically, so always check the current list on the Parivahan fancy/choice-number section before planning a bid. As an indicative picture of what 0001 costs elsewhere:

These figures are indicative and vary by the state’s current notification. Some states run their own auction calendars rather than joining the central Parivahan rounds, and category boundaries differ slightly between states. The Delhi table above is the detailed benchmark; other states publish their own five-category tables in the same style.

The True Total: Winning Bid Is Not the Whole Bill

A common mistake is treating the winning bid as the full cost. It is not. Your actual outlay is:

1. The winning bid amount (or the reserve, if there were no competing bids).
2. Normal registration fees and road tax for the vehicle itself, calculated separately under your state’s tax rules.
3. HSRP plate manufacturing and fitment after the number is allotted, since high security plates are mandatory and the physical plates must be made with your allotted number.

So if you win 0007 at a bid of Rs 6.55 lakh, the vehicle registration tax, the Rs 1,000 fancy-number registration fee, and the HSRP fitment charges (roughly Rs 350 to Rs 1,200 depending on vehicle type) all sit on top of that figure. Budget for the bundle, not just the headline bid.

How to Check the Current Price List Before You Bid

Prices and auction schedules are revised, so never bid from a saved screenshot:

1. Open parivahan.gov.in and go to the Fancy/Choice Number (e-auction) section.
2. Select your state and the relevant RTO.
3. Read the current category-wise reserve price list for that RTO.
4. Check the auction calendar for the series open for bidding and the registration window dates.
5. Register for the specific round, pay the registration fee plus the category’s reserve as EMD, and place bids within the window.

If you want the bidding mechanics in full detail (registration steps, EMD refunds, what happens when you win), our companion guide on the Parivahan VIP auction process walks through the entire flow: https://vahandetail.com/fancy-vip-number-plate-auction-parivahan/.

Practical Tips for Getting a Number at a Sane Price

• Target Category 4 or 5 if you want a nice number without the premium. Pattern numbers like 1313 or 1008 look distinctive and start at Rs 1,00,000 reserve in Delhi, while Category 5 choice numbers start at just Rs 20,000.
• Watch a round or two before bidding. Registration numbers are auctioned in series, and less-fought rounds mean winning at or near reserve.
• Check the schedule, not old blog posts. Price lists get revised, and quoting last year’s reserve at the RTO helps nobody.
• Budget the full stack. Winning bid, registration tax, the non-refundable Rs 1,000 fee, and HSRP fitment. Add them before you decide your maximum bid.
• Never buy a “reserved” number from an agent. Allotments happen only through the official e-auction. Anyone selling a number outside it is selling you a problem.

Once your fancy number is allotted and the plates are fitted, remember that the HSRP rules apply to fancy numbers exactly like ordinary ones. Our HSRP overview at https://vahandetail.com/hsrp-number-plate-fancy-parivahan/ covers the plate format and the fitment process that follows allotment.