LIDDAT

EP car plate: what year?

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

The EP series came outSeptember 1980It was the newest series for 4 months, until EQ in January 1981.

A car with an EP plate was registered in September 1980 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 thanSeptember 1980
So no older than46 years and 2 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilJanuary 1981 (EQ)
Plates in the seriesEP 1 D to EP 9999 R

Check an EP plateโ€™s last letter

The series around EP

SeriesCame out
ELOctober 1979
EMJanuary 1980
ENMay 1980
EPSeptember 1980
EQJanuary 1981
ERJune 1981
ESNovember 1981

Also from 1980: EM, EN.

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 EP car plate?

The EP series came out in September 1980. It was the newest series for 4 months, until EQ in January 1981. So a car with an EP plate was registered in September 1980 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 EP plate?

No older than 46 years and 2 months (in November 2026), counted from September 1980, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an EP carโ€™s COE end?

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

EQ, which came out in January 1981, then ER in June 1981. Before EP came EN (May 1980).

What letter does EP 1234 end in?

EP 1234 S. The last letter is a checksum worked out from the prefix and the number: EP 1 D, EP 88 D, EP 8888 J. Check any EP plate.

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