Haryana has smashed its own record for fancy vehicle registrations after a single number plate drew an eye-watering Rs 1.17 crore, now officially the highest amount ever paid for a registration number in India.
The plate in question, HR88B8888, went under the virtual hammer on Wednesday during the state’s weekly online auction for premium vehicle numbers, NDTV reported.
The bidding, held entirely on the government’s fancy.parivahan.gov.in platform, followed Haryana’s usual rhythm: applications open on Friday evening, bidding runs through the week, and winners are declared by Wednesday 5 pm. But this week’s session was in a league of its own. A total of 45 bidders zeroed in on HR88B8888, pushing the price far beyond its base tag of Rs 50,000. By noon on auction day, the bid had already soared to Rs 88 lakh. When the clock struck 5 pm, the final number froze at an unprecedented Rs 1.17 crore.
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So what made this particular plate such a magnet for high-rollers? HR denotes Haryana, 88 points to the designated RTO, B marks the series, and 8888 completes the sequence. But the real charm lies in how the uppercase ‘B’ resembles the digit eight, creating a lineup that looks like a flawless run of eights, a number long associated with prosperity and luck.
The frenzy also highlights a trend that’s been quietly picking up speed: big spending on registration plates that offer bragging rights. Just last week, the plate HR22W2222 fetched Rs 37.91 lakh in Haryana’s auction, according to NDTV. And the fascination isn’t limited to the northern state.
Earlier this year, Kerala witnessed a similar moment of indulgence when tech billionaire Venu Gopalakrishnan spent Rs 45.99 lakh on the VIP number KL 07 DG 0007 for his Lamborghini Urus Performante. The bidding began at Rs 25,000 but ballooned rapidly, helped by the unmistakable James Bond-style “0007” tag.
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