Auction Plates vs Standard Black-and-White Plates
A comparison of auction plates and ordinary plates covering their origin, appearance, price, liquidity and paperwork, so you can choose the one that fits your budget and needs.
Published 21 July 2026, last updated 19 August 2026
Contents
What an auction plate is
An auction plate is a registration number that the Department of Land Transport (DLT) selects from sought-after numbers and puts up for public auction, instead of issuing it in the normal queue. The winning bidder gets the right to that number and registers it to their own vehicle. Auction revenue goes into the Road Safety Fund.
The easiest thing to spot is that plates won at auction are graphic plates, decorated with an image and text representing the province, unlike ordinary plates with a plain background. The design details follow DLT announcements and can change from one auction round to the next, so it is worth checking images from the latest round.
Because the process is a public auction, these plates have a clear record of origin from the start. You can trace who won the auction and how the number was transferred afterwards, which is an important advantage when buying and selling on the secondary market.
What a black-and-white or ordinary plate is
An ordinary plate is one obtained through normal registration. Numbers are issued in sequence, with no auction: whoever registers first gets the number first. For private passenger cars with up to seven seats, the plate has a white reflective background with black characters, which is where the common name black-and-white plate comes from.
Beautiful numbers in this group arise in two ways. The first is someone waiting to register at the exact moment the queue reaches that number. The second is a number that comes back into circulation and becomes available again in the system. So this group does not mean the numbers are not beautiful; they were simply obtained without an auction.
In terms of market value, a white plate obtained by reserving a number is tied to the vehicle, not a right that can be transferred separately like an auction plate, so it has almost no separate value. White plates that can be traded are therefore plates already registered to a car, which change hands through a plate swap within the same area or by transferring the whole car. Their prices are usually lower than auction plates with numbers of the same tier, because the plate's appearance and the sense of rarity are not the same. You can read the conditions for each status in our article on plate status and the pre-purchase checklist.
Differences you can see, and differences in the registration book
In appearance, auction plates have graphic designs and provincial text, so they stand out more on a car. Many people choose auction plates purely for this image. Ordinary plates feel plainer and blend in more, which some people prefer.
In paperwork, both types must be processed at a land transport office when they change hands, but auction plates usually come with documents showing they were won at auction, making their origin easier to verify. Ordinary plates rely mainly on the vehicle registration book and the transfer history.
In value for money, auction plates with numbers of the same tier usually carry higher asking prices, but they also tend to be easier to resell. Ordinary plates suit people who want a number that matches their fortune on a tighter budget.
Price and liquidity
The price of a vanity plate does not depend only on whether it is an auction plate; it depends mainly on the number. Single-digit numbers, repeated digits and numbers with meaning in Chinese beliefs are more expensive than ordinary numbers in every case. After that come the letter series, the province and the vehicle type.
On the secondary market, the plates that are easiest to resell are the ones most people want, not the ones that suit only your fortune. If resale is part of your thinking, give more weight to numbers in general demand than to numbers that match only your own horoscope.
If you are buying for your own long-term use with no plans to resell, choosing an ordinary plate with a good digit sum and no Kalakini clash usually gives far better value, because you pay only for what you truly value.
Two more terms not to confuse: old series and second-hand plates
Old series (หมวดเก่า) refers to plates using an earlier generation of letter series, some of which have been retired from the system and are no longer issued. Collectors value these plates because they show the era of the car, so their price depends on how popular that series is, not on whether it is an auction plate.
Second-hand plate refers to a physical plate that has already been used on a car, as opposed to a plate newly issued by the land transport office. The questions to ask are about the plate's condition, whether it is faded or marked, and whether a new plate will be issued or the existing one reused when ownership changes, because this directly affects how the car looks.
These two terms are a separate dimension from auction versus non-auction. An auction plate can be second-hand if it has been on a car before, and an ordinary plate can be a rare old series too. When comparing prices, be clear about which dimension you are comparing.
So which should you choose?
If you value image, rarity and resale potential, an auction plate is the better fit, especially for numbers that many people seek, such as single digits, triple digits and four of a kind.
If you value the digit sum and compatibility with your birth day on a limited budget, an ordinary plate is the better-value answer, because you get a number that matches the principles you follow without paying the market's popularity premium.
Whichever you choose, always check two things before deciding. First, the plate's vehicle type must match your car. Second, the plate's status must be confirmed as genuinely available at the time you pay.
Numbers mentioned in this article
FAQ on this topic
Can an auction plate be used on any car?
It must go on a vehicle of the same type the number was allocated to. Private passenger cars with up to seven seats, private trucks, and private passenger vehicles with more than seven seats cannot use numbers across types. That is why every plate's detail page on this site always shows the vehicle type for you to check first.
Where can I find a black-and-white plate with a beautiful number?
Mostly on the secondary market, from current holders who want to sell, because waiting to register the exact number you want yourself is difficult and depends on timing. On this site you can filter to show only ordinary plates from the category page.
If I buy an auction plate from someone else, do I have to bid myself?
No. The auction is a step for whoever obtains the number first. Once the number is in a holder's hands, a change of ownership is handled through the proper procedure at a land transport office, which is a separate process from the auction.
Which is cheaper, a plate in a new auction round or one on the secondary market?
There is no single answer, because it depends on the number and the competition in that round. A number that many people fight over at auction may close above the secondary-market price of numbers of a similar tier, while a number nobody is interested in may close at the starting price. If you have time to wait and can accept the uncertainty, bidding yourself is also a good option.
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