UK Car Age Calculator
Find out exactly how old your car is from its number plate. Instant results for modern UK registrations.
Estimate based on plate format. Actual registration date may differ.
years old
Registration Period
September 2001
Registered: September 2001 - February 2002
Age Details
23 years, 4 months
Based on registration period start
Invalid registration format
Please enter a valid UK registration (e.g. AB51 CDE)
Car Age Guide
Everything about UK vehicle dating
Registration vs Manufacture Year
The 'registration year' and 'manufacture year' are sometimes different. A car manufactured in December 2019 might not be registered until January 2020.
Example: A VW Golf leaves the factory in December 2019 but gets registered in January 2020. Registration year: 2020, Manufacture year: 2019.
5 Ways to Find Your Car's Age
Free Car Valuation
Valuations include the manufacture year
Free MOT Check
Shows first registration date
Number Plate Decoding
Use our age checker above
V5C Log Book
Full registration date in Vehicle Details
VIN 10th Character
Shows model year (found on windscreen)
Plate Age Identifiers
Last two digits of year
Year + 50
UK Car Age Calculator
Enter a UK registration to find out how old the vehicle is
Based on plate format, not DVLA records
Vehicle Age
years old
Registration Period
September 2001
Sep 2001 - Feb 2002
Age Details
23 years, 4 months
From period start
Invalid Format
Enter a valid UK plate (e.g. AB51 CDE)
Understanding UK Number Plates
How the current system works
2001
System Started
2x
Changes Per Year
2050
System Ends
The current UK number plate format was introduced in September 2001. Each plate contains a two-digit age identifier that shows when the vehicle was first registered.
New plates are released twice a year: in March and September. The age identifier changes each time, making it easy to estimate a vehicle's age at a glance.
The format is: AA00 AAA where the two numbers (00) indicate the registration period.
Reg vs Manufacture
These dates can differ by weeks or months:
March Registrations
Use the last two digits of the year:
September Registrations
Add 50 to the last two digits:
5 Ways to Find Out Your Car's Age
Multiple methods to determine vehicle age
Free Car Valuation
Valuations always include manufacture year as part of the price calculation.
Free MOT Check
Shows the first registration date along with full MOT history.
Number Plate Decoding
Use our age checker above to instantly decode your plate.
V5C Log Book
The Vehicle Details section shows the full registration date.
VIN 10th Character
The 10th character indicates model year. Found on windscreen or V5C.
UK Number Plate Age Identifiers
Complete reference for millennium registrations (2001 onwards)
| Plate | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | September 2001 | March 2002 |
| 02 | March 2002 | September 2002 |
| 52 | September 2002 | March 2003 |
| 03 | March 2003 | September 2003 |
| 53 | September 2003 | March 2004 |
| 04 | March 2004 | September 2004 |
| 54 | September 2004 | March 2005 |
| 05 | March 2005 | September 2005 |
| 55 | September 2005 | March 2006 |
| 06 | March 2006 | September 2006 |
| 56 | September 2006 | March 2007 |
| 07 | March 2007 | September 2007 |
| 57 | September 2007 | March 2008 |
| 08 | March 2008 | September 2008 |
| 58 | September 2008 | March 2009 |
| 09 | March 2009 | September 2009 |
| 59 | September 2009 | March 2010 |
| 10 | March 2010 | September 2010 |
| 60 | September 2010 | March 2011 |
| 11 | March 2011 | September 2011 |
| 61 | September 2011 | March 2012 |
| 12 | March 2012 | September 2012 |
| 62 | September 2012 | March 2013 |
| 13 | March 2013 | September 2013 |
| 63 | September 2013 | March 2014 |
| 14 | March 2014 | September 2014 |
| 64 | September 2014 | March 2015 |
| 15 | March 2015 | September 2015 |
| 65 | September 2015 | March 2016 |
| 16 | March 2016 | September 2016 |
| 66 | September 2016 | March 2017 |
| 17 | March 2017 | September 2017 |
| 67 | September 2017 | March 2018 |
| 18 | March 2018 | September 2018 |
| 68 | September 2018 | March 2019 |
| 19 | March 2019 | September 2019 |
| 69 | September 2019 | March 2020 |
| 20 | March 2020 | September 2020 |
| 70 | September 2020 | March 2021 |
| 21 | March 2021 | September 2021 |
| 71 | September 2021 | March 2022 |
| 22 | March 2022 | September 2022 |
| 72 | September 2022 | March 2023 |
| 23 | March 2023 | September 2023 |
| 73 | September 2023 | March 2024 |
| 24 | March 2024 | September 2024 |
| 74 | September 2024 | March 2025 |
| 25 | March 2025 | September 2025 |
This system continues until 2050, at which point the government will decide on a new format.
Prefix Registrations & VIN Codes
For vehicles registered before 2001
Prefix Registrations (1983-2001)
Format: 1 letter + 1-3 numbers + 3 letters (e.g., A234 ABC). The first letter indicates the year.
| Prefix | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| A | Aug 1983 | Jul 1984 |
| B | Aug 1984 | Jul 1985 |
| C | Aug 1985 | Jul 1986 |
| D | Aug 1986 | Jul 1987 |
| E | Aug 1987 | Jul 1988 |
| F | Aug 1988 | Jul 1989 |
| G | Aug 1989 | Jul 1990 |
| H | Aug 1990 | Jul 1991 |
| J | Aug 1991 | Jul 1992 |
| K | Aug 1992 | Jul 1993 |
| L | Aug 1993 | Jul 1994 |
| M | Aug 1994 | Jul 1995 |
| N | Aug 1995 | Jul 1996 |
| P | Aug 1996 | Jul 1997 |
| R | Aug 1997 | Jul 1998 |
| S | Aug 1998 | Feb 1999 |
| T | Mar 1999 | Jul 1999 |
| V | Aug 1999 | Feb 2000 |
| W | Mar 2000 | Jul 2000 |
| X | Aug 2000 | Feb 2001 |
| Y | Mar 2001 | Jul 2001 |
Letters I, O, Q, U, and Z are not used to avoid confusion.
VIN Year Codes (10th Character)
The 10th character of a 17-digit VIN indicates the model year. Found on windscreen or engine bay.
| Code | Year | Code | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1980/2010 | N | 1992 |
| B | 1981/2011 | P | 1993 |
| C | 1982/2012 | R | 1994 |
| D | 1983/2013 | S | 1995 |
| E | 1984/2014 | T | 1996 |
| F | 1985/2015 | V | 1997 |
| G | 1986/2016 | W | 1998 |
| H | 1987/2017 | X | 1999 |
| J | 1988/2018 | Y | 2000 |
| K | 1989/2019 | 1-9 | 2001-2009 |
| L | 1990/2020 | M | 1991/2021 |
Check Your Vehicle's Full History
Now you know how old your car is, check its full MOT history, mileage trends, and any recorded defects with our free vehicle check.