LIDDAT

SBK car plate: what year?

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

The SBK series came outSeptember 1989It was the newest series for 3 months, until SBL in December 1989.

A car with an SBK plate was registered in September 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 thanSeptember 1989
So no older than37 years and 2 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilDecember 1989 (SBL)
Plates in the seriesSBK 1 R to SBK 9999 C

Check an SBK plateโ€™s last letter

The series around SBK

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

Also from 1989: SBH, SBJ, 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 SBK car plate?

The SBK series came out in September 1989. It was the newest series for 3 months, until SBL in December 1989. So a car with an SBK plate was registered in September 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 SBK plate?

No older than 37 years and 2 months (in November 2026), counted from September 1989, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an SBK carโ€™s COE end?

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

SBL, which came out in December 1989, then SBM in March 1990. Before SBK came SBJ (May 1989).

What letter does SBK 1234 end in?

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

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