Can Shanghai License Plates Be Used on New Energy Vehicles?
2 Answers
Shanghai license plates can be used on new energy vehicles. Here are the relevant details: 1. Shanghai New Energy License Plates: Shanghai's new energy license plates are scrapped along with the vehicle. When a consumer purchases a new energy vehicle for non-commercial use and does not have any other new energy vehicles registered in Shanghai, the city continues to issue free special license plate quotas for new energy vehicles under the principle of controlling the total number of non-commercial passenger vehicles. 2. One Vehicle, One Plate Policy: For new energy vehicles using special license plate quotas, a one-vehicle, one-plate policy is implemented. If a new energy vehicle is scrapped, or undergoes out-of-jurisdiction transfer, registration changes, deregistration, or theft procedures, the special license plate quota is automatically voided. No quota certificate will be reissued, and the quota cannot be transferred within three years.
I encountered this issue when I bought my last car. The Shanghai 'big plate' refers to the regular fuel vehicle license plate, which needs to be obtained through an auction and can cost up to 70,000 to 80,000 yuan. This cannot be directly used for new energy vehicles. New energy vehicles have a dedicated green license plate, which is easy to apply for and free, without the need to spend money on bidding. Why is that? The government is promoting environmental policies to reduce emissions from fuel vehicles and encourage people to switch to electric vehicles. If you already have a fuel vehicle license plate and want to transfer it to a new energy vehicle, you need to go through the procedures first, which may require canceling the old license plate before reapplying for a green one. I recommend applying for a green license plate directly when buying a new energy vehicle—it's more convenient, saves on license plate costs, and comes with benefits like no traffic restrictions. In short, don’t waste money on fuel plates; switching to green travel is more cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
