Car age check by reg
Enter the registration and see the year of manufacture, the month of first registration, the car's age in years and months, and what the plate's age identifier says. Free, from DVLA and DVSA records, no email.
Enter a registration
How do I find out how old a car is?
Enter the registration above. The page shows the year the car was built and the month DVLA first registered it, then counts the age in years and months from that month. If the plate is in the current format (two letters, two numbers, three letters) it also explains the two numbers, which say when the number was issued.
How the plate shows the year
The current registration format was introduced on 1 September 2001. DVLA leaflet INF104 describes it as a 2 letter memory tag for the region where the car was first registered, 2 numbers that tell you when the number was issued, then a space and 3 letters chosen at random. The two numbers change every March and September.
- March to August: the year's last two digits. 17 is March to August 2017.
- September to February: the year's last two digits plus 50. 67 is September 2017 to February 2018.
- Private plates: a number can move to another car, but DVLA says it cannot make the vehicle appear younger than it is. So a plate can read older than the car, never newer.
- Older formats and Q plates: plates like A123 BCD or ABC 123D use a single letter for the year, and a Q plate carries no year at all. For these the DVLA registration date is the only guide.
The age that matters for road tax and the first MOT is the first registration date, not the plate. If the two disagree, the plate change check explains what the full report shows about previous registrations.
Number plate years at a glance
Six examples of the age identifier rule from DVLA leaflet INF104. The two letters and the three random letters say nothing about the year.
| Plate | Issued | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| AB02 CDE | Issued: March 2002 to August 2002 | Rule: March plates take the year's last two digits |
| AB52 CDE | Issued: September 2002 to February 2003 | Rule: September plates add 50 to the year |
| AB17 CDE | Issued: March 2017 to August 2017 | Rule: 17 = 2017 |
| AB67 CDE | Issued: September 2017 to February 2018 | Rule: 67 = 2017 + 50 |
| AB26 CDE | Issued: March 2026 to August 2026 | Rule: 26 = 2026 |
| AB76 CDE | Issued: September 2026 to February 2027 | Rule: 76 = 2026 + 50 |
The pattern continues each March and September. A car can carry a plate from an earlier period than its registration (a private plate), but never a later one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about car age on Carhealth
Enter the registration above. The page shows the year the car was built and the month DVLA first registered it, then counts the age in years and months from that month. If the plate is in the current format (two letters, two numbers, three letters) it also explains the two numbers, which say when the number was issued.
On a plate in the format introduced on 1 September 2001, the two numbers are the age identifier. A number issued from March to August uses the year's last two digits (17 = March to August 2017). A number issued from September to February adds 50 (67 = September 2017 to February 2018). The two letters before them are the DVLA memory tag for the region where the car was first registered, and the three letters after are random.
Most often a private plate. DVLA lets a registration number move to a car as long as it does not make the car look younger than it is, so a car first registered in 2019 can legally carry a 2012-period plate. The DVLA first registration date is the age to go by. The full Carhealth report lists any plate changes on record with the previous plate and the transfer date.
A car built in one year is often registered early the next, so a gap of a few months is normal. A gap of two years or more usually means the car was registered somewhere else first and later imported, or stood unregistered. The full report shows the DVLA import marker where DVLA holds one.
GOV.UK says DVLA issues Q registration numbers to vehicles whose age or identity is in doubt, for example a car whose original paperwork could not prove when it was built. A Q plate carries no age identifier, so the DVLA record is the only guide to the car's age.
Yes to both. The first MOT is due by the third anniversary of registration in England, Scotland and Wales. The road tax rules depend on the first registration date: cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 pay a flat standard rate, cars registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 pay by CO2 band, and older cars pay by engine size. The road tax calculator works it out from the reg.
Sources
- DVLA: Vehicle Enquiry ServiceThe year of manufacture and the month of first registration DVLA holds for the registration you enter. The age on this page is counted from that month.
- DVSA: MOT historyThe registration date DVSA holds, used when DVLA gives none, and the test record behind the Free Report.
- DVLA leaflet INF104: Vehicle registration numbers and number platesThe format introduced on 1 September 2001 (2 letter memory tag, 2 numbers that say when the number was issued, 3 random letters), the age identifier table, and the rule that a registration number cannot make a vehicle appear younger than it is. Checked 11 November 2026.
- GOV.UK: Q registration numbersDVLA issues Q registration numbers to vehicles whose age or identity is in doubt. Checked 11 November 2026.
Related guides
Plain-English reading on this check, from the Carhealth blog.