LIDDAT

EL car plate: what year?

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

The EL series came outOctober 1979It was the newest series for 3 months, until EM in January 1980.

A car with an EL plate was registered in October 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 thanOctober 1979
So no older than47 years and 1 month (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilJanuary 1980 (EM)
Plates in the seriesEL 1 A to EL 9999 L

Check an EL plateโ€™s last letter

The series around EL

SeriesCame out
EHMarch 1978
EJOctober 1978
EKApril 1979
ELOctober 1979
EMJanuary 1980
ENMay 1980
EPSeptember 1980

Also from 1979: EK.

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 EL car plate?

The EL series came out in October 1979. It was the newest series for 3 months, until EM in January 1980. So a car with an EL plate was registered in October 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 EL plate?

No older than 47 years and 1 month (in November 2026), counted from October 1979, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an EL carโ€™s COE end?

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

EM, which came out in January 1980, then EN in May 1980. Before EL came EK (April 1979).

What letter does EL 1234 end in?

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

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