LIDDAT

EW car plate: what year?

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

The EW series came outMarch 1983It was the newest series for 4 months, until EX in July 1983.

A car with an EW plate was registered in March 1983 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 thanMarch 1983
So no older than43 years and 8 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilJuly 1983 (EX)
Plates in the seriesEW 1 S to EW 9999 D

Check an EW plateโ€™s last letter

The series around EW

SeriesCame out
ETApril 1982
EUAugust 1982
EVDecember 1982
EWMarch 1983
EXJuly 1983
EYOctober 1983
EZFebruary 1984

Also from 1983: EX, EY.

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 EW car plate?

The EW series came out in March 1983. It was the newest series for 4 months, until EX in July 1983. So a car with an EW plate was registered in March 1983 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 EW plate?

No older than 43 years and 8 months (in November 2026), counted from March 1983, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an EW carโ€™s COE end?

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

EX, which came out in July 1983, then EY in October 1983. Before EW came EV (December 1982).

What letter does EW 1234 end in?

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

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