Number plates

What year is an 03 plate?

03 plates were issued to cars first registered in Great Britain between 1 March 2003 and 31 August 2003. Below: how old those cars are, when the first MOT falls due, the tax rules and the models most often tested. To decode a whole plate, use the number plate age checker.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026. Tax rates for the year from 1 April 2026.

Issued from1 March2003

Issued until31 August2003

Age today23 years

First MOT dueMarchMarch 2006 to August 2006

Which year is it?

An 03 plate covers March to August 2003. The September identifier that follows it is 53.

The plate normally shows when the car was first registered, which can be later than when it was built. A car imported new gets the identifier of its first UK registration. A used import gets an identifier that matches its age (the date it was built or first registered abroad), or a Q plate when its age cannot be proved.

MOT

A car's first MOT is due by the third anniversary of its first registration, then every year. For an 03 plate that first MOT was due between 1 March 2006 and 31 August 2006, depending on the registration date. You can take an MOT up to a month (minus a day) before the due date and keep the same renewal date.

All cars: share of MOT tests that failed at the age these cars are now (DVSA data, 2022 to 2025).
Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)
23 years	39.6%	619,531

MOT fail rates by make, model and age

Vehicle tax

Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 are taxed by CO2 band, A to M: from £20 a year (band A, up to 100 g/km) to £790 a year (band M, over 255 g/km) (rates from 1 April 2026). The band is on the V5C.
Cars over 225 g/km first registered before 23 March 2006 pay the band K rate, £445 a year.

Work out the tax for one car

ULEZ and clean air zones

Transport for London's guide: petrol cars that meet the ULEZ standard (Euro 4) are generally those first registered after 2005, though some from 2001 meet it. Diesel cars that meet it (Euro 6) are generally those first registered after September 2015. The year on the plate is a starting point only: the Euro standard of the car decides.

ULEZ and clean air zone checker

Most tested models first used in 2003

The models with the most MOT tests among cars first used in 2003. DVSA's data gives the year of first use, not the month, so this covers every plate issued in 2003, not only this one.

Models first used in 2003: MOT tests 2022 to 2025, counting only the ages with at least 1,000 tests of that model, and the share that failed at the latest such age.
Model	MOT tests (n)	Age	Fail rate	More
Volkswagen Golf	73,650	22 years	42.6% (n=13,842)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Ford Fiesta	70,230	22 years	44.4% (n=12,144)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
MINI Cooper and One	58,722	22 years	43.6% (n=10,565)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Ford Focus	55,541	22 years	44.3% (n=9,092)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Toyota Yaris	50,602	22 years	45.8% (n=9,727)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Volkswagen Polo	47,713	22 years	51.5% (n=8,629)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
BMW 3 Series	46,401	22 years	32.4% (n=9,131)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Nissan Micra	41,649	22 years	47.4% (n=7,639)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Vauxhall Astra	35,280	22 years	42.4% (n=5,979)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Vauxhall Corsa	35,105	22 years	47.9% (n=5,417)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Honda Civic	33,990	22 years	45.7% (n=6,435)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Peugeot 206	31,078	22 years	46.6% (n=4,915)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ

A fail rate depends on age, mileage and upkeep, so compare models of the same age only.

Questions

What year is an 03 plate?

03 plates were issued to cars first registered in Great Britain between 1 March 2003 and 31 August 2003.

When is the first MOT due on an 03 plate?

By the third anniversary of first registration: between 1 March 2006 and 31 August 2006.

Can an 03 plate be on a newer car?

Yes. A private (cherished) number can be moved to a newer car, which then looks older than it is. It can never go on a car first registered before 1 March 2003, because a plate may not make a car look newer than it is. How to transfer a private number plate.

Other plates

Decode a plate: number plate age checker

Before: 52 plates. After: 53 plates. Every age identifier · Area codes (the first two letters)

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

The plate tells you roughly when a car was first registered. The VetTheCar Buying Report brings together the MOT history, mileage readings and running costs of one car before you pay.

See a sample Buying Report Free car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVLA vehicle registration numbering rules (INF104); DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal tests, 2022 to 2025; GOV.UK vehicle tax rate tables (DVLA). MOT data updated 28 September 2026. Tax rates for the year from 1 April 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or DVLA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources