Choosing a number plate can be just as important as buying the vehicle to some. In fact, a unique number plate could cost as much as or more than the vehicle itself.
To commemorate the 66th National Day on August 31, 2023, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) launched the special “M_M” series registration plates for Malaysians to bid for. It was reported that from the series, the single M1M registration number garnered a whopping bid of RM622,000.
When Malaysians purchase a vehicle, they will be given a number plate according to the sequence of alphabets. But the first letter is always fixed to represent the state or federal territory where your car was registered.
Below is a list of states and federal territories in Malaysia along with the letter that represent each of them. The letter that represents the state or territory is often the first letter of the region’s name. For example, the letter P represents Penang.
A – Perak
B – Selangor
C – Pahang
D – Kelantan
F – Putrajaya
J – Johor
K – Kedah
M – Melaka
N – Negeri Sembilan
P – Penang
Q – Sarawak
R – Perlis
S – Sabah
T – Terengganu
V – Kuala Lumpur
The following two letters are then issued based on alphabetical order. For example, an older car would be issued with a number plate, “WPB”, while a newer car would be issued with “WPC”.
Do note that for the states of Sarawak and Sabah, the second letter denotes the district or division of the place of registration.
How To Bid For A Special Number Plate
Malaysians can buy a vehicle registration number that’s to their liking from JPJ instead of using a random number issued to them.
Some numbers, especially prime numbers like one, are especially popular due to their uniqueness and a general representation of being at the number one or top spot. Some vehicle owners also pick a registration number after their birth dates or anniversaries.
Typically, an average number plate assigned to vehicle owners consists of four numbers. Numbers like three and eight are also very popular among the Chinese community as they have the same pinyin sounds as characters that mean life and wealth.
As mentioned, during certain celebrations, the JPJ launches special series number plates. These series usually bear letters that represent a certain memorable occasion. For example, the “M_M” series registration plates translate to “Malaysia Merdeka”.
Buy A Special Number At A JPJ Branch Or Online On MYSIKAP
Individuals or companies can also buy a registration number at the nearest JPJ branch or on the MYSIKAP online portal. MYSIKAP is an online platform under JPJ that lets you settle transactions involving vehicle and driver licensing.
You will need to fill in the M.V.10A booking form and pay an RM10 service fee that is non-refundable, regardless of the result. Do prepare the necessary documents as listed below:
- Copy of your identity card or passport
- Copy of Company Registration Endorsement Certificate (Form 9 or Form 13)
- Copy of Return Giving Particulars In Register Of Directors, Managers And Secretaries And Changes Of Particulars (Form 49) that has been endorsed by the Company Registrar/Secretary or copy of Company Registration Certificate
Successful applicants will receive an official letter where they’re required to make the full payment in 30 days. The owner of the registration number is not allowed to sell them to others, but they can transfer them to immediate family members or a company where they serve as a member of the Board of Directors.
Bidding For A Special Number On JPJ eBid
First, you can search for the number you want to bid for on the JPJ eBid website. Once you find the number, you can click on the ‘More’ button to find out its minimum bid amount. Then, you can start bidding and a service fee of RM10 will be charged.
If you want to bid for a popular number, you’re required to place a 50% deposit of the bid price. The bidding period spans five days for each special series. The bid amount will be returned to unsuccessful applicants.
There are four kinds of numbers that you can bid for. The minimum bid amount for each category is listed below. Every increase in bid needs to be at least 5% of the first or previous bid.
For example, you bid RM20,000 on a number. If you want to make a second bid, the minimum increase is 5% of the bid amount which amounts to RM22,000.
5% X RM20,000 = RM1,000
| Category | Numbers | Min Price (RM) |
| Prime Numbers
|
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | 20,000 |
| Attractive Numbers | 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 28, 33, 38, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, 111, 222, 333, 555, 666, 777, 888, 999, 1111, 2222, 3333, 5555, 6666, 7777, 8888, 9999 | 3,000 |
| Popular Numbers | 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 500, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1001, 1122, 1221, 1133, 1331, 1155, 1551, 1166, 1177, 1771, 1188, 1881, 1199, 1919, 1991, 2000, 2002, 2020, 2211, 2112, 2233, 2332, 2255, 25225, 2552, 2266, 2662, 2277, 2727, 2772, 2288, 2828, 2882, 2299, 2929, 2992, 3000, 3003, 3030, 3300, 3131, 3113, 3322, 3232, 3223, 3355, 3535, 3553, 3366, 3636, 3377, 3773, 3388, 3838, 3399, 3939, 3993, 4000, 5000, 5005, 5515, 5115, 5522, 5533, 5353, 5335, 5566, 5665, 5577, 5775, 5588, 5885, 5599, 5995, 5000, 5006, 6611, 6116, 6622, 6633, 6336, 6655, 6556, 6677, 6776, 6688, 6868, 6886, 6699, 6969, 6996, 7000, 7007, 7070, 7711, 7171, 7117, 7722, 7227, 7733, 7373, 7755, 7557, 7766, 7667, 7788, 7878, 7887, 7799, 7997, 8000, 8008, 8811, 8181, 8118, 8822, 8228, 8833, 8383, 8338, 8855, 8558, 8866, 8668, 8877, 8778, 8899, 8989, 8998, 900, 9009, 9911, 9119, 9922, 9229, 9933, 9339, 9955, 9559, 9966, 9696, 9669, 9977, 9779, 9988, 9898, 9889 | 800 |
| Current Numbers | Others | 300 |
Special Patriotic Series Registration Plates And How Much Do They Cost
Patriot 1 – RM1,300,000
In 2015, JPJ launched a special number plate series – “Patriot 1” to “Patriot 9999” – that was to be auctioned off to fund the activities of non-governmental organisation, Yayasan Patriot Negara Malaysia (YPN).
YPN’s members consist of retired workers from the public and private sector and aims to promote patriotism and harmony.
The entire series was expected to fetch a total of RM10 million in profits. The “Patriot 1” was eventually bought by an anonymous bidder for RM1.3 million, one of the most expensive registration numbers to date.
FF1 – RM1,200,000
This year marks the 77th anniversary of the JPJ and in conjunction with this special milestone, the FF vehicle registration series was launched.
Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar won the bid for the coveted FF1 number plate for RM1,200,000.
He is also the owner of the registration number F1, that was bought for RM836,660 back in 2016.
Malaysia 1 – RM1,111,111
To celebrate National Day in 2018, the Malaysia series registration plates were introduced and up for bid. The series made a total profit of RM3 million.
The number from the series that got the highest bid is none other than Malaysia 1, which was bought by Aldi International Sdn Bhd, an investment firm in Johor for RM1,111,111.
V1 – RM990,000
Number plates for cars in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur or “Wilayah Persekutuan” used to start with the letter “W”. When the alphabets were exhausted, new cars were issued number plates that start with the letter “V”.
The V1 number plate was released for bid as the first for the new series and was bought by Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar for RM990,000.
Featured Image Credit: JPJ Malaysia
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