Can Yellow Label Vehicles Still Be Driven on the Road?
3 Answers
Currently, yellow label vehicles are not allowed to enter urban areas, but they can still be driven on the road. However, it's important to note that there are certain areas where they are prohibited. Yellow label vehicles refer to those with high levels of exhaust emissions, high concentrations of pollutants, and poor emission stability. This includes gasoline vehicles with emission levels below the National I standard and diesel vehicles below the National III standard at the time of their initial model certification. Emission Levels of Yellow Label Vehicles: In terms of emission limits, the emissions from one yellow label vehicle are equivalent to those from 5 National I vehicles, 7 National II vehicles, 14 National III vehicles, or more than 20 National IV gasoline vehicles. These in-use vehicles, after passing regular environmental inspections and meeting the relevant emission standards for in-use vehicles, are issued a yellow environmental inspection compliance label, allowing them to be driven on the road. Due to their high single-vehicle emissions, yellow label vehicles should be prioritized for control and phase-out. Identification Standards for Yellow Label Vehicles: The identification of yellow label vehicles is based on exhaust emission standards, specifically the National I and National III standards. China implemented the 'Limits and Measurement Methods for Emissions from Light-Duty Vehicles (I)' in 2001, which is equivalent to the Euro I standard. The 'Limits and Measurement Methods for Emissions from Light-Duty Vehicles (III)' implemented in 2007 is equivalent to the Euro III standard.
After driving for so many years, I've witnessed numerous cases of yellow-label vehicles being phased out. Currently, all cities nationwide prohibit yellow-label vehicles from being driven on the roads. So-called yellow-label vehicles refer to old gasoline-powered cars registered before 2000 and diesel vehicles from before 2008—these outdated models with severely excessive emissions. Previously, environmental protection departments issued yellow labels to be affixed to windshields, but later completely banned them from urban areas. A car repair shop owner I know mentioned that people caught secretly driving yellow-label vehicles face fines starting at 2,000 yuan. Nowadays, such vehicles can only be scrapped, with subsidies ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan across different regions. A friend from the environmental protection bureau once told me that after phasing out these highly polluting old vehicles, the concentration of nitrogen oxides in urban air dropped by nearly 30%.
I still remember the scene when my old neighbor sent his smoke-belching truck to be scrapped. The PM2.5 concentration in the exhaust of yellow-label vehicles is more than twenty times that of China IV standard vehicles, like mobile pollution sources. Last year's municipal environmental protection conference data showed that phasing out yellow-label vehicles contributed over 15% to improving haze conditions. Now, whenever a yellow-label vehicle is detected entering the electronic fence area, the traffic monitoring system automatically issues an alert, and law enforcement officers immediately intercept it upon receiving the notification. Some used car dealers tried refurbishing yellow-label vehicles, but after being caught, the entire vehicles were forcibly dismantled. It's advised that families with such vehicles should promptly contact legitimate recycling companies for disposal.
