After how many years will a car be mandatorily scrapped?
2 Answers
Cars will be mandatorily scrapped after reaching the prescribed service life. The standards for mandatory scrapping are as follows: Reaching the prescribed service life. After repair and adjustment, still failing to meet the national standards for in-use vehicle safety technical requirements. After repair and adjustment or the adoption of control technology, the emission of pollutants or noise into the atmosphere still fails to meet the national standards for in-use vehicle requirements. Failing to obtain the motor vehicle inspection qualification mark for three consecutive motor vehicle inspection cycles after the expiration of the inspection validity period. Private and commercial vehicles have different scrapping periods: Private vehicle scrapping regulations: 5-seat family cars and 7-seat SUVs, as well as non-commercial small and micro cars, have no service life limit. When the normal mileage reaches 600,000 kilometers, the state will guide the scrapping. In addition to the above vehicles, small and micro non-commercial passenger cars, large non-commercial cars, and wheeled special machinery vehicles also have no service life limit. Common commercial vehicle scrapping regulations: Small and micro taxi passenger cars have a scrapping period of 8 years, medium-sized taxi passenger cars have a scrapping period of 10 years, and large taxi passenger cars have a scrapping period of 12 years. Bus passenger cars have a scrapping period of 13 years, other small and micro commercial passenger cars have a scrapping period of 10 years, and large and medium-sized commercial passenger cars have a scrapping period of 15 years; micro commercial trucks have a scrapping period of 8 years, and light and large commercial trucks have a scrapping period of 10 years.
I've been driving for over a decade. When I first started driving, there was indeed a mandatory scrappage policy—for example, passenger cars had to be scrapped after 15 years. However, the policy has changed several times, and now there’s no fixed lifespan for private vehicles. As long as the car passes the annual inspection and emissions test, it can continue to be driven, which has saved me a lot of money on replacements. That said, emission standards are getting stricter. After the implementation of China 6, older cars that fail to meet emissions requirements may face road restrictions or forced retirement. A friend of mine has a car that’s 20 years old, and with proper maintenance, it could still last a long time. The key is regular upkeep to avoid major issues. Overall, age isn’t a hard limit, but it’s important to consider city driving restrictions to avoid affecting daily commutes.
