Number plates

What year is an 06 plate?

06 plates were issued to cars first registered in Great Britain between 1 March 2006 and 31 August 2006. 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 March2006

Issued until31 August2006

Age today20 years

First MOT dueMarchMarch 2009 to August 2009

Which year is it?

An 06 plate covers March to August 2006. The September identifier that follows it is 56.

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 06 plate that first MOT was due between 1 March 2009 and 31 August 2009, 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)
20 years	42.8%	1,845,952

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 2006

The models with the most MOT tests among cars first used in 2006. DVSA's data gives the year of first use, not the month, so this covers every plate issued in 2006, not only this one.

Models first used in 2006: 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
Ford Fiesta	182,829	19 years	47.0% (n=34,708)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Ford Focus	132,689	19 years	41.5% (n=23,187)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Volkswagen Golf	129,572	19 years	43.3% (n=24,358)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Vauxhall Astra	110,626	19 years	47.5% (n=18,636)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
MINI Cooper and One	92,200	19 years	43.0% (n=18,586)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Volkswagen Polo	85,508	19 years	51.1% (n=17,528)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
BMW 3 Series	84,374	19 years	32.3% (n=15,966)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Honda Jazz	80,615	19 years	44.7% (n=17,563)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Vauxhall Corsa	80,284	19 years	49.9% (n=13,776)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Toyota Yaris	72,274	19 years	45.4% (n=15,549)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Nissan Micra	71,649	19 years	46.2% (n=15,353)	All years Problems Recalls ULEZ
Renault Clio	68,232	19 years	51.2% (n=11,814)	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 06 plate?

06 plates were issued to cars first registered in Great Britain between 1 March 2006 and 31 August 2006.

When is the first MOT due on an 06 plate?

By the third anniversary of first registration: between 1 March 2009 and 31 August 2009.

Can an 06 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 2006, 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: 55 plates. After: 56 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