Number plates
What year is a 51 plate?
51 plates were issued to cars first registered in Great Britain between 1 September 2001 and 28 February 2002. Below: how old those cars are, when the first MOT falls due and the tax rules. 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.
Which year is it?
A 51 plate covers September 2001 to the end of February 2002. People often call it a 2001 car even when it was registered in early 2002, and the model year can differ from the registration date.
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 a 51 plate that first MOT was due between 1 September 2004 and 28 February 2005, 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.
| Age | MOT fail rate | Tests (n) |
|---|---|---|
| 24 years | 37.8% | 428,815 |
| 25 years | 36.3% | 313,355 |
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.
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.
Most tested models
DVSA's data gives the year of first use, not the month, so we show one model table per year, on the plate that covers most of it. See the most tested models first used in 2001: Y prefix plates and the most tested models first used in 2002: 02 plates.
Questions
What year is a 51 plate?
51 plates were issued to cars first registered in Great Britain between 1 September 2001 and 28 February 2002.
When is the first MOT due on a 51 plate?
By the third anniversary of first registration: between 1 September 2004 and 28 February 2005.
Can a 51 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 September 2001, 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
After: 02 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.
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