What’s on your plate?

Increasing numbers of Indian drivers are splashing out on personalised number plates for their cars. Some flaunt their names, some prefer to showcase their place of origin and some, it seems, contemplate so hard on their regos that onlookers are compelled to capture their quirkiness on camera.

Punjabi motorists are splurging on customised number plates Source: Facebook, Instagram

For a fringe of Punjabi motorists in Australia, having a showy car just isn't enough.

They want to swan around in their cars, whether it’s a cheap run-around or costs the equivalent of a plush penthouse in the CBD, with personalised number plates - or rego plates - as they are commonly called in Australia.

Some people write their names on the metallic plate, some prefer to showcase their Punjabi origin, and some it seems, contem-plate so hard on the content etched on their regos that onlookers are compelled to capture their quirkiness on camera.

Customised number plates: Taur (Swag) Left; Srpnch (head of a village) Right. Source: Facebook

Sundeep Randhawa from Adelaide, whose father has been collecting customised number plates, says the reasons for buying such plates can be many.

“Well, most Punjabis buy it because they want to show-off. It’s a symbol of wealth- yes that we have made it, or for many, it’s just a source of enjoyment. They want people to spot their cars and say ‘see that’s a Punjabi driving a Mercedes’”, Mr Randhawa told SBS Punjabi.

The most sought-after regos “either have the word SINGH, JATT, surnames or their place of birth,” added Mr Randhawa.

Customised number plates all the rage in Australia Source: Facebook

But what are regos and how much do they cost?

For the uninitiated, the Vehicle Registration Number is a series of numbers and/or letters assigned to a vehicle by the relevant road traffic authority upon registration of a motor vehicle.

While a total cost of registering a car can cost you anywhere between the brackets of $600 to $900 depending on your location, for a customised plate, the price you will dish out will reflect the series chosen, the number of letters, and most importantly, the exclusivity of the product.

Prices of customised number plates vary depending on the exclusivity of the combination chosen Source: Instagram

The state of Victoria alone produces over 40,000 new number plate combinations annually, but once they enter the private market, some customised combinations can end up fetching more than 100 times their principal amount.

It has been reported that a number plate in Victoria sold for $135,000 whereas Vic1 and NSW1 are estimated to be worth $2.5 million. And the recently arrived Punjabi community has clearly jumped on the bandwagon too.

“All his life, my father has collected vanity plates; it’s a great investment but only if the words mean something to a larger population. For instance, a plate with the word ‘PUNJAB’ or ‘SARDARI’ can fetch you millions in the private market,” said Mr Randhawa.

But while vanity plates have carved their own niche in the world of wealth, some may have stretched the suavity too far.

Words like 'Aslaa' (ammunition), ‘Bandook’ (gun), PK3PEG (after three drinks) or ‘Kharku’ (militant) have also made it onto the roads, perhaps because the words mean little in English.

Punjabi word 'Aslaa' means ammunition in English. Source: Facebook

So what do you think about personalised number plates? Do you own one? How much did you pay for it? Send us photos on punjabi.program@sbs.com.au or join the conversation on our Facebook page.