LIDDAT

SBL car plate: what year?

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

The SBL series came outDecember 1989It was the newest series for 3 months, until SBM in March 1990.

A car with an SBL plate was registered in December 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 thanDecember 1989
So no older than36 years and 11 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilMarch 1990 (SBM)
Plates in the seriesSBL 1 K to SBL 9999 Y

Check an SBL plateโ€™s last letter

The series around SBL

SeriesCame out
SBHJanuary 1989
SBJMay 1989
SBKSeptember 1989
SBLDecember 1989
SBMMarch 1990
SBNJune 1990
SBPDecember 1990

Also from 1989: SBH, SBJ, SBK.

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 SBL car plate?

The SBL series came out in December 1989. It was the newest series for 3 months, until SBM in March 1990. So a car with an SBL plate was registered in December 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 SBL plate?

No older than 36 years and 11 months (in November 2026), counted from December 1989, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an SBL carโ€™s COE end?

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

SBM, which came out in March 1990, then SBN in June 1990. Before SBL came SBK (September 1989).

What letter does SBL 1234 end in?

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

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