LIDDAT

EC car plate: what year?

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

The EC series came outOctober 1973It was the newest series for 5 months, until ED in March 1974.

A car with an EC plate was registered in October 1973 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 thanOctober 1973
So no older than53 years and 1 month (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilMarch 1974 (ED)
Plates in the seriesEC 1 Y to EC 9999 J

Check an EC plateโ€™s last letter

The series around EC

SeriesCame out
EAAugust 1972
EBMarch 1973
ECOctober 1973
EDMarch 1974
EEFebruary 1975
EFDecember 1976

Also from 1973: EB.

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 EC car plate?

The EC series came out in October 1973. It was the newest series for 5 months, until ED in March 1974. So a car with an EC plate was registered in October 1973 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 EC plate?

No older than 53 years and 1 month (in November 2026), counted from October 1973, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an EC carโ€™s COE end?

The COE system began in May 1990, after the EC 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 EC?

ED, which came out in March 1974, then EE in February 1975. Before EC came EB (March 1973).

What letter does EC 1234 end in?

EC 1234 K. The last letter is a checksum worked out from the prefix and the number: EC 1 Y, EC 88 Y, EC 8888 C. Check any EC plate.

Buying a car? The latest COE prices ยท Road tax ยท More small things at liddat.com ยท ๐Ÿ’ฌ Feedback or hello@liddat.com