From Xadin to Nutar... what’s in a car’s name?

Customised number plates have captured the nation’s imagination and thanks to the likes of Rambo, Beast and Pacenzja, Transport Malta raises more than a million euros every year. The sale of customised and personalised number plates is quite a reliable source of revenue: there are in total 1,477 car owners who paid €1,500 for a customised number plate. Another 76,369 own a personalised number plate, choosing the three letters and the three numbers for €200. Customised number plate owners who spoke to The Sunday Times of Malta said they regarded it as a statement of individuality, a trinket, a type of automotive jewellery. To the vast majority who own a random plate, customised number plates are an ostentatious waste of cash. However, it is not only owners of luxury cars who buy these plates: it is often the case that you see cars chug past and you instinctively know the number plate is worth more than the car. Normal non-personalised number plates cost €70. On average, every year 4,222 car owners pay €200 for a personalised one, which allows the buyer to decide on the combination of the name/numbers on the personalised plates. About 184 car owners opt to pay €1,500 for a...