LIDDAT

EK car plate: what year?

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

The EK series came outApril 1979It was the newest series for 6 months, until EL in October 1979.

A car with an EK plate was registered in April 1979 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 thanApril 1979
So no older than47 years and 7 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilOctober 1979 (EL)
Plates in the seriesEK 1 E to EK 9999 S

Check an EK plateโ€™s last letter

The series around EK

SeriesCame out
EGSeptember 1977
EHMarch 1978
EJOctober 1978
EKApril 1979
ELOctober 1979
EMJanuary 1980
ENMay 1980

Also from 1979: EL.

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 EK car plate?

The EK series came out in April 1979. It was the newest series for 6 months, until EL in October 1979. So a car with an EK plate was registered in April 1979 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 EK plate?

No older than 47 years and 7 months (in November 2026), counted from April 1979, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an EK carโ€™s COE end?

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

EL, which came out in October 1979, then EM in January 1980. Before EK came EJ (October 1978).

What letter does EK 1234 end in?

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

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