Can a new car without a temporary license plate drive on the highway?
4 Answers
A new car without a temporary license plate cannot drive on the highway. Additional information is as follows: 1. Legal Basis: Article 8 of the Road Traffic Safety Law stipulates that the state implements a registration system for motor vehicles. A motor vehicle can only be driven on the road after being registered by the traffic management department of the public security authority. For motor vehicles that have not yet been registered but need to be temporarily driven on the road, a temporary license must be obtained. According to new traffic regulations, motor vehicles without license plates are not allowed on the road. New cars must display either a permanent or temporary license plate to be driven legally. 2. Temporary License Plate: A temporary license plate is a paper motor vehicle license that permits temporary road use, also known as a temporary driving license plate. It serves as a provisional driving permit issued by the vehicle management department of the public security authority for newly purchased vehicles before formal registration.
Last time I accompanied my friend to pick up his new car, we ran into this exact issue. The salesperson made it crystal clear—a car without temporary plates is like a person without an ID. Forget about crossing provinces; you can't even drive on the main city roads. If you try sneaking onto the highway, getting caught means losing all 12 points on your license and having your car impounded on the spot. Nowadays, highway entrances are packed with cameras that can scan the VIN even if the car isn't registered. Some folks try to outsmart the system by buying insurance first and waiting for temporary plates, but the police just pull up your insurance records with a POS machine—no way to cheat. My buddy played it safe, waited two extra days, and spent 15 bucks to get the yellow temporary plates before daring to drive back to his hometown in the neighboring city.
Our driving instructors keep emphasizing this: new car owners who haven't even warmed up to the steering wheel are most prone to make mistakes. Last month, a student called me right after picking up his car, saying the 4S dealership encouraged him to drive it home directly. I immediately shouted back: Blue temporary plates are only for urban driving - you must use yellow plates for intercity travel! I've witnessed tragedies in coaching cars - one guy tried to save half a day's time, got stopped at the toll gate, had his car impounded at the enforcement station for three whole days, and ended up paying 800 for a tow truck. Honestly, why rush these two days when you've already bought the car? Nowadays temporary plates are issued on the spot, and the safest bet is to keep the insurance policy and purchase invoice ready in the glove compartment beforehand.
Insiders in the auto trade know this well: The DMV issues two types of temporary license plates. The blue-background ones are only for intra-city driving, while the yellow ones are highway-legal. The key is to check the 'Driving Route' section – if it says 'Limited to XX administrative area,' crossing the highway line with your tires becomes illegal. Last week while handling client paperwork, I witnessed a fresh case: A young guy tried to bluff his way through with a temporary plate expired for three days. The officer made him pull up the electronic insurance policy on his phone, and the truth came out instantly. My advice to new car owners boils down to three must-dos: Mount the temp plate on the lower right of the windshield without obstruction, always carry the compulsory insurance decal, and ideally keep a copy of the purchase contract handy.
