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What year is this number plate?

Type a UK registration and see when the plate was issued. Free and instant: it works from the plate itself, so nothing is looked up or stored.

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How UK number plates show a car's age

Since September 2001 every standard UK plate has the same shape: two letters for the area, two numbers for the age, then three random letters. The two numbers are the age identifier, and they change twice a year:

  • 1 March: the last two digits of the year. A 26 plate was issued from March 2026.
  • 1 September: the year plus 50. A 76 plate was issued from September 2026.

So a 68 plate is from September 2018 to February 2019, and a 19 plate is from March to August 2019.

Private plates and why the age can mislead

The plate on a car isn't always its original one. A private or cherished plate can't make a car look newer than it is, but it can make it look older. That means the plate only tells you the earliest the car could have been registered. To know the real date, and whether the plate has changed, you need the car's records.

The plate also says nothing about what has happened to the car since. A car that was written off by an insurer, or still has finance owed on it, looks the same from the outside, so run a write-off check and a finance check before you pay.

Every current plate, 51 to 76

PlateIssued
761 September 2026 to the end of February 2027
261 March 2026 to 31 August 2026
751 September 2025 to the end of February 2026
251 March 2025 to 31 August 2025
741 September 2024 to the end of February 2025
241 March 2024 to 31 August 2024
731 September 2023 to the end of February 2024
231 March 2023 to 31 August 2023
721 September 2022 to the end of February 2023
221 March 2022 to 31 August 2022
711 September 2021 to the end of February 2022
211 March 2021 to 31 August 2021
701 September 2020 to the end of February 2021
201 March 2020 to 31 August 2020
691 September 2019 to the end of February 2020
191 March 2019 to 31 August 2019
681 September 2018 to the end of February 2019
181 March 2018 to 31 August 2018
671 September 2017 to the end of February 2018
171 March 2017 to 31 August 2017
661 September 2016 to the end of February 2017
161 March 2016 to 31 August 2016
651 September 2015 to the end of February 2016
151 March 2015 to 31 August 2015
641 September 2014 to the end of February 2015
141 March 2014 to 31 August 2014
631 September 2013 to the end of February 2014
131 March 2013 to 31 August 2013
621 September 2012 to the end of February 2013
121 March 2012 to 31 August 2012
611 September 2011 to the end of February 2012
111 March 2011 to 31 August 2011
601 September 2010 to the end of February 2011
101 March 2010 to 31 August 2010
591 September 2009 to the end of February 2010
091 March 2009 to 31 August 2009
581 September 2008 to the end of February 2009
081 March 2008 to 31 August 2008
571 September 2007 to the end of February 2008
071 March 2007 to 31 August 2007
561 September 2006 to the end of February 2007
061 March 2006 to 31 August 2006
551 September 2005 to the end of February 2006
051 March 2005 to 31 August 2005
541 September 2004 to the end of February 2005
041 March 2004 to 31 August 2004
531 September 2003 to the end of February 2004
031 March 2003 to 31 August 2003
521 September 2002 to the end of February 2003
021 March 2002 to 31 August 2002
511 September 2001 to 28 February 2002

Older plates: the letter at the start (1983 to 2001)

Before 2001 the age was a single letter at the start of the plate, for example R123 ABC.

LetterIssued
AAugust 1983 to July 1984
BAugust 1984 to July 1985
CAugust 1985 to July 1986
DAugust 1986 to July 1987
EAugust 1987 to July 1988
FAugust 1988 to July 1989
GAugust 1989 to July 1990
HAugust 1990 to July 1991
JAugust 1991 to July 1992
KAugust 1992 to July 1993
LAugust 1993 to July 1994
MAugust 1994 to July 1995
NAugust 1995 to July 1996
PAugust 1996 to July 1997
RAugust 1997 to July 1998
SAugust 1998 to February 1999
TMarch 1999 to August 1999
VSeptember 1999 to February 2000
WMarch 2000 to August 2000
XSeptember 2000 to February 2001
YMarch 2001 to August 2001

Questions about number plates

What year is a 76 plate?

A 76 plate was issued from 1 September 2026 to the end of February 2027. September plates add 50 to the year, so 76 means 2026.

What year is a 26 plate?

A 26 plate was issued from 1 March 2026 to 31 August 2026. March plates use the last two digits of the year.

What year is a 73 plate?

A 73 plate was issued from 1 September 2023 to the end of February 2024. September plates add 50 to the year, so 73 means 2023.

What year is a 71 plate?

A 71 plate was issued from 1 September 2021 to the end of February 2022, so a 71 plate car is from late 2021 or early 2022.

How old is a 69 plate car?

A 69 plate was issued from 1 September 2019 to the end of February 2020. The oldest 69 plate cars turned 7 in September 2026.

What year is a 68 plate?

A 68 plate was issued from 1 September 2018 to the end of February 2019.

How do I find out exactly how old my car is?

The plate gives a six-month window. The exact date is the date of first registration on the V5C logbook, and a car history check shows it too, along with any plate changes.

When do new number plates come out?

Twice a year, on 1 March and 1 September. The March plate uses the year (for example 26), and the September plate adds 50 (for example 76).

Can a private plate make a car look newer?

No. It is not allowed to put a plate on a car that makes it look newer than it is. A private plate can make a car look older, so the plate only tells you the earliest the car could have been registered.

Why doesn't the tool work for my plate?

Dateless and cherished plates (such as 1 ABC), Q plates and Northern Ireland plates don't carry an age identifier, so the age can't be read from the plate. A full car check still shows when the car was first registered.

Checks before you buy

Car history checkEverything in one report: mileage, MOT, write-off, finance and stolen. Mileage checkSpot readings that go backwards and gaps between tests. Write-off checkFind out if an insurer ever wrote the car off, and in which category. MOT history checkEvery test, failure, defect and advisory since 2005. Car finance checkMake sure there's no money still owed on the car. Stolen car checkCheck the car isn't recorded as stolen before you pay.