LIDDAT

SBF car plate: what year?

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

The SBF series came outJune 1988It was the newest series for 4 months, until SBG in October 1988.

A car with an SBF plate was registered in June 1988 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 thanJune 1988
So no older than38 years and 5 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilOctober 1988 (SBG)
Plates in the seriesSBF 1 S to SBF 9999 D

Check an SBF plateโ€™s last letter

The series around SBF

SeriesCame out
SBCJanuary 1986
SBDMarch 1987
SBEDecember 1987
SBFJune 1988
SBGOctober 1988
SBHJanuary 1989
SBJMay 1989

Also from 1988: SBG.

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 SBF car plate?

The SBF series came out in June 1988. It was the newest series for 4 months, until SBG in October 1988. So a car with an SBF plate was registered in June 1988 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 SBF plate?

No older than 38 years and 5 months (in November 2026), counted from June 1988, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an SBF carโ€™s COE end?

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

SBG, which came out in October 1988, then SBH in January 1989. Before SBF came SBE (December 1987).

What letter does SBF 1234 end in?

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

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