Plate age
The 62 plate
Checked on 7 September 2026.DVLA, INF104: vehicle registration numbers and number plates (as of 7 September 2026)
What does a 62 number plate mean?
It is the age identifier for september 2012 to february 2013. Autumn series identifiers are the year plus 50, so 62 is 2012 plus 50 and covers September 2012 to February 2013.
The scheme changes twice a year, on 1 March and 1 September, which is why British new car sales have two enormous months and ten quiet ones.
What a car of this season pays to tax
| Tax system | Lettered CO2 bands A to M |
| Band range, 2026/27 | £20 to £790 depending on the CO2 figure |
Emissions standard and clean air zones
| Fuel | Euro standard | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | Euro 5 | Section D.2 of the V5C is the authority, and some manufacturers certified early. |
| Diesel | Euro 5 | The pass mark for a diesel in every UK zone is Euro 6. |
Compliant
Petrol: No Euro figure is recorded, so we have read it from the first registration date of 1 September 2012. New cars had to meet Euro 5 from 1 January 2011. Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) asks Euro 4 of a petrol car, so there is nothing to pay.
Charged
£12.50 a day
Diesel: No Euro figure is recorded, so we have read it from the first registration date of 1 September 2012. New cars had to meet Euro 5 from 1 January 2011, below the Euro 6 that Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) asks of a diesel car, so the daily charge of £12.50 applies.
Where a plate of this season could have been issued
The age identifier says nothing about where the car came from. That is the memory tag, the two letters in front of it, and all 19 regions were issuing marks in this period.
Common questions
- What year is a 62 plate?
- A 62 registration was issued september 2012 to february 2013, so the car behind it was first registered between 1 September 2012 and 28 February 2013. Most people call it a 2012 car.
- How is a 62 plate car taxed?
- Lettered CO2 bands A to M. That means the rate never stops depending on the CO2 figure, so a high emitting car of this season pays the band rate every year of its life.
- Is a 62 plate diesel ULEZ compliant?
- No Euro figure is recorded, so we have read it from the first registration date of 1 September 2012. New cars had to meet Euro 5 from 1 January 2011, below the Euro 6 that Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) asks of a diesel car, so the daily charge of £12.50 applies.
- Does the 62 tell me anything about the car itself?
- No. The identifier records when the mark was issued and nothing else. A private plate transferred onto an older car hides its age entirely, which is exactly what many of them are bought to do.
Sources
- DVLA, INF104: vehicle registration numbers and number plates (as of 7 September 2026)
- DVLA, V149: rates of vehicle tax from 1 April 2026 (as of 1 April 2026)
- GOV.UK, Budget 2025 overview of tax legislation and rates, Annex A: rates and allowances (as of 1 April 2026)
- Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone (as of 8 April 2019)