Can a new car without temporary license plates but with insurance be driven on the road?
3 Answers
A new car without temporary license plates but with insurance cannot be driven on the road. Here are the relevant regulations: Validity period: Temporary license plates must be used within their validity period. Using them beyond the validity period will result in penalties. Placement: Temporary license plates must be affixed to the windshield. For passenger vehicles that have not yet been registered, two temporary license plates must be affixed when temporarily driving on the road. One should be placed in the lower left or right corner of the front windshield inside the vehicle, where it does not obstruct the driver's view, and the other should be placed in the lower left corner of the rear windshield inside the vehicle. Usage regulations: These apply to vehicles obtained through purchase, allocation, gifting, or other means that have not yet been registered.
When I first bought my car, I also thought about this issue. To be honest, even if you have insurance, you can't drive a new car without a temporary license plate—it's a hard rule. The temporary plate is like a car's provisional ID. Without it, traffic police will catch you every time, resulting in a 12-point deduction and a fine, not to mention your car might even be towed. Insurance only covers compensation for accidents, but driving without a temporary plate is considered unlicensed driving, and the insurance company might even deny your claim. I know a friend who didn’t believe it and got fined 2,000 yuan just 500 meters out of the dealership. When picking up your car, make sure the dealer handles the temporary plate on the same day—yellow with black text for local plates or blue with black text for inter-provincial plates—and stick it on the front and rear windshields. If you're in a hurry, it's better to spend 200 yuan on a tow truck than take this risk.
Last month, I encountered this exact situation when accompanying a relative to pick up their new car. The insurance policy was tucked in the pocket, but without a temporary license plate, the car couldn't be moved. Vehicles on the road must display legal license plates, and the temporary plate is the only legal credential for a new car. Even if you've purchased comprehensive insurance, driving without plates will still result in fines and penalty points if caught by traffic cameras. Once, I saw a new car parked roadside without plates getting a ticket, and the officer said such violations are treated as driving without displayed license plates. If you urgently need to use the car, here's a tip: ask the 4S dealership to issue the car purchase invoice and compulsory traffic insurance policy, then go to the DMV the same day to apply. You can get a paper temporary license plate in as fast as half an hour. Just remember, temporary plates are usually valid for 15 days, so make sure to get the formal plates as soon as possible.
