All special plates

Telling a car's age from the plate

In some countries the registration shows when the vehicle was first registered. Type a plate into the search to get the exact period.

Ireland

241-D-12345
Since 2013
The first two digits are the year and the third the half-year: 1 for January to June, 2 for July to December (241 = first half of 2024).
Examples
- 241-D-12345 → January – June 2024
- 242-C-123 → July – December 2024
12-D-12345
1987–2012
The first two digits are the year of first registration (87 = 1987, 05 = 2005).
Examples
- 87-C-1 → January – December 1987
- 05-D-12345 → January – December 2005

United Kingdom

AB51 ABC
Since 2001
The two digits after the first two letters are the age identifier. Vehicles registered from March to August get the last two digits of the year (25 = 2025); from September to February the year plus 50 (75 = September 2025 to February 2026). The series started with 51 in September 2001.
Examples
- AB25 CDE → March – August 2025
- AB75 CDE → September 2025 – February 2026
A123 BCD
1983–2001
The first letter is the year letter. A was issued from August 1983 to July 1984, B the year after, and so on to R (1997–98). S ran from August 1998 to February 1999; after that the letter changed every March and September (T, V, W, X, Y). I, O, Q, U and Z were not used.
Examples
- A123 BCD → August 1983 – July 1984
- T123 BCD → March – August 1999
ABC 123D
1963–1983
The last letter is the year letter. A to D stand for the calendar years 1963 to 1966 and E for January to July 1967; from F (August 1967) each letter ran from August to July, up to Y (1982–83). Some areas only started using it in 1964 or 1965.
Examples
- ABC 123A → January – December 1963
- ABC 123F → August 1967 – July 1968