LIDDAT

EF car plate: what year?

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

The EF series came outDecember 1976It was the newest series for 9 months, until EG in September 1977.

A car with an EF plate was registered in December 1976 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 thanDecember 1976
So no older than49 years and 11 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilSeptember 1977 (EG)
Plates in the seriesEF 1 G to EF 9999 T

Check an EF plateโ€™s last letter

The series around EF

SeriesCame out
ECOctober 1973
EDMarch 1974
EEFebruary 1975
EFDecember 1976
EGSeptember 1977
EHMarch 1978
EJOctober 1978

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 EF car plate?

The EF series came out in December 1976. It was the newest series for 9 months, until EG in September 1977. So a car with an EF plate was registered in December 1976 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 EF plate?

No older than 49 years and 11 months (in November 2026), counted from December 1976, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an EF carโ€™s COE end?

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

EG, which came out in September 1977, then EH in March 1978. Before EF came EE (February 1975).

What letter does EF 1234 end in?

EF 1234 U. The last letter is a checksum worked out from the prefix and the number: EF 1 G, EF 88 G, EF 8888 L. Check any EF plate.

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