Dubai: Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has made history by earning the highest-ever amount through a vehicle number plate auction, raking in a staggering Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) 98.8 million. The landmark figure was recorded during the RTA’s 118th auction, held on Saturday at the Grand Hyatt Dubai.

Among the most sought-after plates, 'CC 22' topped the list, selling for AED 8.35 million. It was followed by 'BB 20' at AED 7.52 million, 'BB 19' at AED 6.68 million, 'AA 707' at AED 3.31 million and 'AA 222' at AED 3.3 million. In total, 90 number plates featuring two to five digits were auctioned across several series, including AA, BB, CC, I, J, O, P, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z.

The record-breaking outcome reflects the transparency of the auction process and highlights the RTA’s commitment to offering vehicle owners a unique opportunity to acquire their preferred plate numbers.

Participants had the option to register for the auction via the RTA’s official website, the 'Umm Ramool', Deira and Al Barsha customer service centres.

A 5% VAT is applicable on all number plate sales. To take part, bidders were required to have a traffic file in Dubai and submit a cheque worth a security amount of AED 25,000 to the authority. Payments were accepted through the website, mobile app and by credit card.