Who Owns Dubai Number Plate 1? Sheikh Mohammed’s “Dubai 1” – Cars, Value & Is It for Sale?

Who owns Dubai number plate 1?

The Dubai license plate “1” is owned and used exclusively by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. No other person, company or institution uses this plate.

It is also one of the very few Dubai plates issued without any letter code. It reads simply “Dubai 1”, which makes it instantly recognisable on the road.

The plate has never appeared at an auction, has never been sold and has never been transferred. This is why residents and visitors from all over the world keep asking the same questions: who has the number 1 plate in Dubai, and what would it be worth?

Which cars carry the Dubai 1 plate?

Over the years the plate has moved between the Ruler’s personal cars. Two sightings are well documented:

In early 2025 Sheikh Mohammed received the very first Defender Octa delivered worldwide, and the “Dubai 1” plate went onto it.

Before the Defender, the plate was seen for years on the Ruler’s Mercedes-AMG G-Class.

Is Dubai number plate 1 for sale?

No. Dubai license plate 1 is not for sale and will never be available for purchase. It is permanently reserved for the Ruler of Dubai, so there is no auction, no waiting list and no price at which it could be bought.

What you can buy are other single-digit Dubai plates with a letter code, such as P 7 or D 5. They are extremely rare as well: most are sold at RTA and charity auctions, and very few change hands privately.

How much is Dubai number plate 1 worth?

Because Dubai plate 1 has never been sold, it has no fixed market price. The best comparison is Dubai P 7, the most expensive Dubai plate ever sold: AED 55 million, about USD 15 million, in 2023.

Dubai number plate 1 goes further than any plate that has ever traded:

• It has no letter code.
• It is a single-digit plate, and the lowest number possible.
• It cannot be purchased.
• It is permanently reserved for the Ruler of Dubai.

That is why it is commonly estimated that Dubai plate 1 would be worth more than USD 20 million if it were ever offered. A hypothetical range would be USD 20 to 100 million (about AED 73 to 367 million), although its true value cannot be measured because the plate is not a commercial asset.

The closest reference points are the top single-digit plates that have actually been sold:

Publicly reported auction results. Private sales are not disclosed.

Every publicly reported record sale is listed in UAE number plate price records from 2007 to 2026.

Why is Dubai number plate 1 so valuable?

In Dubai an expensive car on its own is no longer a strong status symbol. Rolls-Royces are an everyday sight, especially in areas such as Downtown Dubai, where seeing several within a few minutes is normal.

So the number plate has become the real symbol of prestige. Dubai license plate 1 stands at the very top of that hierarchy.

The lower the number, the higher the status.

Dubai plate 1 vs Abu Dhabi plate 1

The two are often confused. Abu Dhabi plate number 1 was sold: on 16 February 2008, businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri paid AED 52.2 million for it at a charity auction at Emirates Palace. The sale held the world record for 15 years, until Dubai plate P 7 sold for AED 55 million in 2023.

Dubai plate number 1 has never been sold. When you read that a "plate number 1" went for more than AED 50 million, the story is about Abu Dhabi, not Dubai.

How these two sales compare with the rest of the world is covered in the most expensive number plates in the world.

How are special number plates sold in Dubai?

Distinctive Dubai plates are issued by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Low and special numbers reach buyers in four ways:

• RTA open auctions, held regularly, where the rarest numbers are sold live.
• RTA online auctions for other distinctive numbers.
• Charity auctions such as Most Noble Number, where the proceeds go to humanitarian campaigns and the record prices are set.
• Private resale: an owner sells to a buyer and the plate is transferred through RTA.

Single-digit plates rarely reach the private market. To see what is available now, browse Dubai plates for sale, or use the calculator above to value any other plate. Before you buy, read the 15 most common Dubai plate myths.