LIDDAT

SBJ car plate: what year?

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

The SBJ series came outMay 1989It was the newest series for 4 months, until SBK in September 1989.

A car with an SBJ plate was registered in May 1989 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 thanMay 1989
So no older than37 years and 6 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilSeptember 1989 (SBK)
Plates in the seriesSBJ 1 X to SBJ 9999 H

Check an SBJ plateโ€™s last letter

The series around SBJ

SeriesCame out
SBFJune 1988
SBGOctober 1988
SBHJanuary 1989
SBJMay 1989
SBKSeptember 1989
SBLDecember 1989
SBMMarch 1990

Also from 1989: SBH, SBK, SBL.

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 SBJ car plate?

The SBJ series came out in May 1989. It was the newest series for 4 months, until SBK in September 1989. So a car with an SBJ plate was registered in May 1989 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 SBJ plate?

No older than 37 years and 6 months (in November 2026), counted from May 1989, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an SBJ carโ€™s COE end?

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

SBK, which came out in September 1989, then SBL in December 1989. Before SBJ came SBH (January 1989).

What letter does SBJ 1234 end in?

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

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