Can the CHR Hybrid get a green license plate?
2 Answers
Toyota C-HR Hybrid cannot get a green license plate. Below are specific explanations about vehicle license plate colors: 1. Blue with white characters: Generally exclusive to small vehicles, but not limited to sedans. Passenger vehicles with fewer than 9 seats and commercial trucks with a load capacity under 1.5 tons can also use blue plates. 2. Yellow background with black characters: Vehicles with yellow plates mainly include: large trucks, ordinary M2 class light buses, medium and large buses, agricultural-use vehicles, trailers, minivans with 10 or more seats, and trucks with a load capacity over 1.0 tons. 3. White background with black characters: White plates are commonly seen on vehicles of public security departments, judicial departments, procuratorates, armed police forces, and PLA units, representing national authority institutions. 4. Black background with white characters: The first type of black plate is the Yue Z plate issued by the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, mainly facilitating travel between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. Another type is for foreign institutions in China, such as consulates, which can have black plates representing embassy vehicles, often displaying the country's flag. 5. Green background with black characters: This is the plate for new energy vehicles promoted in recent years, but not all new energy vehicles qualify. Pure electric vehicles (PEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) can get green plates, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) cannot.
Recently, while car shopping, I carefully researched the green license plate policy. Simply put, the Toyota C-HR Hybrid, as a regular hybrid vehicle (HEV) without plug-in capability, doesn't meet China's new energy vehicle green license plate standards. Currently, green plates are mainly issued to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) because they can run on electricity for a certain distance and are supported by national policies. The C-HR Hybrid lacks a charging port, relying instead on its engine and energy recovery system, with a battery too small for pure electric driving over dozens of kilometers, hence it's ineligible for green plates. In conversations with friends about cars, I've noticed many mistakenly believe all hybrids qualify for green plates. However, eligibility depends on the specific model's certification standards. It's advisable to check local DMV regulations or consider Toyota's plug-in models like the RAV4 PHEV, which easily qualifies for green plates, offering benefits like purchase tax exemption and traffic restriction exemptions.
