Rs 1.17 crore for seven 8s: Haryana man’s Rs 1.17 crore bid makes HR 88B 8888 India’s priciest car number plate

A man from Hisar, Haryana, has reportedly spent a staggering Rs 1.17 crore to secure a special vehicle number plate—believed to be the highest amount ever paid for a VIP registration number in India.

According to a Times of India report, the premium number HR 88B 8888 attracted the record bid. While officials have not disclosed the winner’s identity or the vehicle for which the number is intended, sources quoted in the report say the bidder is a Hisar resident named Sudhir.

The appeal of the number reportedly lies in the visual illusion it creates—either resembling a sequence of seven 8s or seven Bs, with the former being the more likely fascination.


The Haryana transport department conducted the auction online through the Ministry of Road Transport. The number carried a reserve price of Rs 50,000, and participants were required to pay a Rs 11,000 registration fee to enter the bidding which includes Rs 1,000 as registration charges and Rs 10,000 as security.

The auction began at 5 pm with 45 participants vying for the number. The top bid eventually reached ?1.17 crore, but the process will be considered complete only after the winning bidder pays the full amount. If he fails to pay the remaining amount, this deposit will be forfeited, officials said.

The coveted number belongs to the Badhra subdivision in Charkhi Dadri district.

This isn’t the first time an Indian number plate has fetched an eye-watering sum. In August, an Innova owner in Chandigarh paid Rs 36.4 lakh for the number CH01-DA-0001, nearly as much as the cost of the car itself. Earlier in April, a Kerala resident bought the number KL 07 DG 0007 for almost Rs 46 lakh.

To put it in perspective, for about Rs 1 crore, one can buy luxurious cars like BMW X5, Lexus RX, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Defender, Audi Q8 etc.