Buying Report · £14.99
Tools

Number plates

What year is an 07 plate?

07 plates were issued to cars first registered in Great Britain between 1 March 2007 and 31 August 2007. 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 March2007
Issued until31 August2007
Age today19 years
First MOT dueMarchMarch 2010 to August 2010

Which year is it?

An 07 plate covers March to August 2007. The September identifier that follows it is 57.

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 07 plate that first MOT was due between 1 March 2010 and 31 August 2010, 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).
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)
19 years43.2%2,479,858

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.

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 2007

The models with the most MOT tests among cars first used in 2007. DVSA's data gives the year of first use, not the month, so this covers every plate issued in 2007, not only this one.

Models first used in 2007: 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.
ModelMOT tests (n)AgeFail rateMore
Ford Fiesta221,41718 years46.3% (n=44,030)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
Ford Focus180,26518 years42.0% (n=32,602)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
Volkswagen Golf173,16118 years41.7% (n=34,441)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
Vauxhall Astra168,95418 years46.5% (n=29,236)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
Vauxhall Corsa151,06018 years47.2% (n=27,221)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
MINI Cooper and One114,56418 years42.4% (n=22,523)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
BMW 3 Series112,78518 years31.6% (n=21,999)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
Honda Civic98,56018 years45.5% (n=19,163)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
Volkswagen Polo97,72718 years48.1% (n=21,099)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
Renault Clio88,14518 years52.5% (n=16,190)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
Peugeot 20787,12618 years49.3% (n=14,419)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ
Toyota Yaris86,85018 years44.0% (n=19,356)All yearsProblemsRecallsULEZ

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

Questions

What year is an 07 plate?

07 plates were issued to cars first registered in Great Britain between 1 March 2007 and 31 August 2007.

When is the first MOT due on an 07 plate?

By the third anniversary of first registration: between 1 March 2010 and 31 August 2010.

Can an 07 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 2007, 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: 56 plates. After: 57 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