What year is my car?
You can find the age of your car by looking at your car registration
Three systems have operated since car registration began. In this guide we explain how to find the exact year of your car based on each of these systems.
IF YOU THINK YOUR CAR WAS REGISTERED AFTER 2001
IF YOU THINK YOUR CAR WAS REGISTERED BETWEEN 1983 AND 2001
IF YOU THINK YOUR CAR WAS REGISTERED BETWEEN 1963 AND 1982
The current system (2001–now)
The current system was developed so new cars could be registered twice a year. New registrations are now released on 1 March and 1 September.
How to read your car registration
EU country identifier (optional) |
Age identifier |
 |
|
Area code |
Random letters |
EU country identifier—The country in which the vehicle was registered.
Region of registration—The first letter is the area of registration, the second is the local DVLA office.
Age—The year of registration.
Random letters—These are unique to the vehicle and added so the vehicle can be identified.
Car registration years chart—2001 onward
|
Year |
Registrations from 1 March to 31 August |
Registrations from 1September to 28February |
|---|---|---|
|
2001/2002 |
51 |
|
|
2002/2003 |
02 |
52 |
|
2003/2004 |
03 |
53 |
|
2004/2005 |
04 |
54 |
|
2005/2006 |
05 |
55 |
|
2006/2007 |
05 |
56 |
|
2007/2008 |
07 |
57 |
|
2008/2009 |
08 |
58 |
|
2009/2010 |
09 |
59 |
|
2010/2011 |
10 |
60 |
|
2011/2012 |
11 |
61 |
|
2012/2013 |
12 |
62 |
|
2013/2014 |
13 |
63 |
|
2014/2015 |
14 |
64 |
|
2015/2016 |
15 |
65 |
|
2016/2017 |
16 |
66 |
|
2017/2018 |
17 |
67 |
|
2018/2019 |
18 |
68 |
|
2019/2020 |
19 |
69 |
|
2020/2021 |
20 |
70 |
The prefix system (1983–2001)
Age identifier |
Random numbers |
Area code |
 |
||
Age identifier—The date of registration.
Random numbers—These are unique to the vehicle and added so the vehicle can be identified.
Area code—The area of registration and the local DVLA office.
Car registration years chart—1983–2001
|
Year |
Letter |
|---|---|
|
1983 |
A |
|
1984 |
B |
|
1985 |
C |
|
1986 |
D |
|
1987 |
E |
|
1988 |
F |
|
1989 |
G |
|
1990 |
H |
|
1991 |
J |
|
1992 |
K |
|
1993 |
L |
|
1994 |
M |
|
1995 |
N |
|
1996 |
P |
|
1997 |
R |
|
1998 |
S |
|
1999 |
T |
|
2000 |
W |
|
2000 |
X |
|
2001 |
Y |
The suffix system (1963–1982)
Area code |
Random numbers |
Age identifier |
 |
||
Area code—The area of registration and the local DVLA office.
Random numbers— These are unique to the vehicle and added so the vehicle can be identified.
Age identifier—The date of registration.
Car registration years chart—1963–1982
|
Year |
Letter |
|---|---|
|
1963 |
A |
|
1964 |
B |
|
1965 |
C |
|
1966 |
D |
|
1967 |
E |
|
1967 |
F |
|
1968 |
G |
|
1969 |
H |
|
1970 |
J |
|
1971 |
K |
|
1972 |
L |
|
1973 |
M |
|
1974 |
N |
|
1975 |
P |
|
1976 |
R |
|
1977 |
S |
|
1978 |
T |
|
1979 |
V |
|
1980 |
W |
|
1981 |
X |
|
1982 |
Y |
National flags on number plates
If you live within the United Kingdom you may display the following on your number plate:
Flags
- Union Flag
- Cross of St George
- Red Dragon of Wales
EU symbol
If you display the Euro symbol and GB identifier, you can travel the EU without a separate GB sticker.
If you don’t have the EU symbol, you’ll need to buy a separate sticker.
Identifiers
These are the bold letters found in front of the licence numbers.
- UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or UK
- GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB
- ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng
- SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco
- WALES or Wales
- CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym