UK Car Age Calculator
Decode a UK number plate to estimate how old a vehicle is. Works with all modern registrations from 2001 onwards.
Estimate based on plate format, not official DVLA records.
Vehicle age
Type a registration to decode it
years old
Registered September 2001
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 two-digit age identifier system works.
2001
System started
2×
Changes per year
2050
System ends
The current UK number plate format was introduced in September 2001. Each plate carries a two-digit age identifier showing when the vehicle was first registered.
New plates are released twice a year — in March and September — so the age identifier changes every six months. The format is AA00 AAA, where the two numbers reveal the registration period.
March plates
Use the last two digits of the year.
September plates
Add 50 to the last two digits.
Registration year vs manufacture year: these can differ by weeks or months. A car built in December 2019 might not be registered until January 2020 — the plate reflects the registration date, not the factory build date.
5 ways to find a car's age
Multiple methods to determine when a vehicle was registered or built.
Free car valuation
Valuations always include the manufacture year as part of the price calculation.
Free MOT check
Shows the first registration date along with the full MOT history.
Number plate decoding
Use the checker above to instantly decode a plate's age identifier.
V5C log book
The Vehicle Details section shows the full first registration date.
VIN 10th character
The 10th character of a 17-digit VIN indicates the model year. Found on the windscreen or V5C (see the reference table below).
Age identifier reference
Complete lookup tables for millennium, prefix, and VIN year codes.
Millennium identifiers (2001 onwards)
The current two-digit format. Continues until 2050.
| 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 |
Prefix registrations (1983–2001)
Format: 1 letter + 1–3 numbers + 3 letters (e.g. A234 ABC). The first letter is 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 the 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 |
This millennium system continues until 2050, at which point the government will decide on a new format.
Check the full vehicle history
Now you know how old the car is, check its full MOT history, mileage trends and any recorded defects with our free vehicle check.