LIDDAT

EA car plate: what year?

When the EA series came out, how old a EA car can be, and when its COE runs out.

The EA series came outAugust 1972It was the newest series for 7 months, until EB in March 1973.

A car with an EA plate was registered in August 1972 or later. A number can be bid for after its series opens, or kept from an older car, so the car can be newer than its plate, never older.

Registered no earlier thanAugust 1972
So no older than54 years and 3 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilMarch 1973 (EB)
Plates in the seriesEA 1 H to EA 9999 U

Check an EA plateโ€™s last letter

The series around EA

SeriesCame out
EAAugust 1972
EBMarch 1973
ECOctober 1973
EDMarch 1974

From LTAโ€™s list of car prefixes on DataMall: from SDQ (December 2001) on, the month a series first opened for bidding; before that, the month it came out. Every series is on the car plate page, and in one CSV.

Questions

What year is an EA car plate?

The EA series came out in August 1972. It was the newest series for 7 months, until EB in March 1973. So a car with an EA plate was registered in August 1972 or later: a number can be bid for after its series opens, or kept from an older car, so the car can be newer than its plate, never older.

How old is a car with an EA plate?

No older than 54 years and 3 months (in November 2026), counted from August 1972, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an EA carโ€™s COE end?

The COE system began in May 1990, after the EA series came out, so a car registered before then needed none when new. From May 1990 a new car gets a 10-year COE, renewable for 5 or 10 years at the Prevailing Quota Premium: see the latest COE prices and PQP.

What comes after EA?

EB, which came out in March 1973, then EC in October 1973. Before EA came no other car series: it was the first.

What letter does EA 1234 end in?

EA 1234 X. The last letter is a checksum worked out from the prefix and the number: EA 1 H, EA 88 H, EA 8888 M. Check any EA plate.

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