LIDDAT

EQ car plate: what year?

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

The EQ series came outJanuary 1981It was the newest series for 5 months, until ER in June 1981.

A car with an EQ plate was registered in January 1981 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 thanJanuary 1981
So no older than45 years and 10 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilJune 1981 (ER)
Plates in the seriesEQ 1 Z to EQ 9999 K

Check an EQ plateโ€™s last letter

The series around EQ

SeriesCame out
EMJanuary 1980
ENMay 1980
EPSeptember 1980
EQJanuary 1981
ERJune 1981
ESNovember 1981
ETApril 1982

Also from 1981: ER, ES.

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 EQ car plate?

The EQ series came out in January 1981. It was the newest series for 5 months, until ER in June 1981. So a car with an EQ plate was registered in January 1981 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 EQ plate?

No older than 45 years and 10 months (in November 2026), counted from January 1981, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an EQ carโ€™s COE end?

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

ER, which came out in June 1981, then ES in November 1981. Before EQ came EP (September 1980).

What letter does EQ 1234 end in?

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

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