The series around SMT
| Series | First open for bidding |
|---|
| SMQ | September 2019 |
| SMR | November 2019 |
| SMS | December 2019 |
| SMT | January 2020 |
| SMU | April 2020 |
| SMV | August 2020 |
| SMW | September 2020 |
Also from 2020: SMU, SMV, SMW, SMX, SMY.
From LTA’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 SMT car plate?
The SMT series first opened for bidding in January 2020. It was the newest series for 3 months, until SMU in April 2020. So a car with an SMT plate was registered in January 2020 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 SMT plate?
No older than 6 years and 10 months (in November 2026), counted from January 2020, when the series first opened for bidding. It can be younger: the plate only says when the number came out.
When does an SMT car’s COE end?
A COE lasts 10 years from registration, so a car registered in January 2020, when the series first opened for bidding, has its first COE running to about January 2030; one registered later, later still. After that it’s deregistered, or its COE renewed for 5 or 10 more years at the Prevailing Quota Premium: see the latest COE prices and PQP, and the PARF and COE rebates for scrapping it.
What comes after SMT?
SMU, which first opened for bidding in April 2020, then SMV in August 2020. Before SMT came SMS (December 2019).
What letter does SMT 1234 end in?
SMT 1234 B. The last letter is a checksum worked out from the prefix and the number: SMT 1 M, SMT 88 M, SMT 8888 T. Check any SMT plate.