LIDDAT

SBD car plate: what year?

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

The SBD series came outMarch 1987It was the newest series for 9 months, until SBE in December 1987.

A car with an SBD plate was registered in March 1987 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 1987
So no older than39 years and 8 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilDecember 1987 (SBE)
Plates in the seriesSBD 1 C to SBD 9999 P

Check an SBD plateโ€™s last letter

The series around SBD

SeriesCame out
SBAAugust 1984
SBBFebruary 1985
SBCJanuary 1986
SBDMarch 1987
SBEDecember 1987
SBFJune 1988
SBGOctober 1988

Also from 1987: SBE.

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 SBD car plate?

The SBD series came out in March 1987. It was the newest series for 9 months, until SBE in December 1987. So a car with an SBD plate was registered in March 1987 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 SBD plate?

No older than 39 years and 8 months (in November 2026), counted from March 1987, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an SBD carโ€™s COE end?

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

SBE, which came out in December 1987, then SBF in June 1988. Before SBD came SBC (January 1986).

What letter does SBD 1234 end in?

SBD 1234 R. The last letter is a checksum worked out from the prefix and the number: SBD 1 C, SBD 88 C, SBD 8888 H. Check any SBD plate.

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