Motorists living in Scotland are the most likely to own a personalised numberplate new research by elephant.co.uk has revealed. And the plates are odds-on to be seen adorning the bumpers of luxury cars such as Bentleys, Ferraris and Aston Martins.
Car insurance specialist elephant.co.uk looked at 3.5 million policies and found that of the top 10 postcodes where personalised plates are popular, eight are in Scotland, with the affluent settlement of Kilmacolm in Inverclyde at the top of the list. 14% of drivers there own a personalised plate compared to a national average of 4%.
In second place we move to the other end of the country to the millionaire’s playground of Sandbanks in Dorset (13%), but then in third place it’s back up north with the prosperous Glasgow commuter area of Newton Mearns (12%). Also in the top 10 are a number of postcodes in and around Aberdeen, with North Ferriby in Humberside joining Sandbanks as the only other location outside of Scotland.
Brian Martin, managing director of elephant.co.uk, said: “Considering the affluent areas around the country where we see the highest proportion of personalised number plates, it certainly looks like they’re used as a status symbol.
“However, it’s hard to say why they’re so popular in Scotland specifically. Maybe Scottish motorists look to express their individuality more than those in the rest of the UK.”
When it comes to what cars the personalised plates appear on, it’s perhaps no surprise that owners of luxury models are the most likely to splash out on them. In fact, the whole top 10 list is made up of prestige motors. Most popular is the Bentley Continental, with 36% carrying a personalised plate. This is followed by the Ferrari 360 and Aston Martin DB7 (both on 35%).
Brian continued: “It wasn’t a surprise to see that prestige models dominate the list, however, it was surprising to see that such a large number of Bentley Continental, Ferrari 360 and Aston Martin DB7 owners splash out on personalised plates. Drivers of those cars definitely want to stand out from the crowd.”
When it comes to occupations, elephant.co.uk found that Company Chairmen are head and shoulders above the rest with 16% owning one, followed by Bank Directors on 12% and Property Developers on 11%.
elephant.co.uk also looked at those areas, occupations and vehicles with the lowest percentage of personalised plates. The Hilborough and Northwold area near Thetford, Norfolk was revealed as the area of the UK with the lowest percentage of cars with personalised numberplates, croupiers were the occupation at the bottom of the list whilst the Suzuki Liana is the vehicle least likely to have one attached to it.
Via EPR Network
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