LIDDAT

SBM car plate: what year?

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

The SBM series came outMarch 1990It was the newest series for 3 months, until SBN in June 1990.

A car with an SBM plate was registered in March 1990 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 1990
So no older than36 years and 8 months (in November 2026)
COEnone when new, if registered before May 1990
Newest series untilJune 1990 (SBN)
Plates in the seriesSBM 1 E to SBM 9999 S

Check an SBM plateโ€™s last letter

The series around SBM

SeriesCame out
SBJMay 1989
SBKSeptember 1989
SBLDecember 1989
SBMMarch 1990
SBNJune 1990
SBPDecember 1990
SBQApril 1991

Also from 1990: SBN, SBP.

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 SBM car plate?

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

No older than 36 years and 8 months (in November 2026), counted from March 1990, when the series came out. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.

When does an SBM carโ€™s COE end?

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

SBN, which came out in June 1990, then SBP in December 1990. Before SBM came SBL (December 1989).

What letter does SBM 1234 end in?

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

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