Do Beijing pickup trucks require a lottery?
3 Answers
In Beijing, purchasing a diesel pickup truck requires participating in a license plate lottery, while gasoline models do not. Here are relevant details about pickup trucks: 1. Pickup types: Chinese pickup models mainly feature American and Japanese styles. The former boasts rugged styling, wide bodies, high ground clearance, and powerful engines; the latter evolved from small cars or trucks, being compact, fuel-efficient and affordable. Technically categorized into: Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan, Mazda, GM, and hybrid American-Japanese models. 2. Product functionality: Pickups primarily combine micro-passenger and micro-cargo functions, incorporating car-like speed, comfort, and safety while maintaining light truck loading capacity. Compared to light trucks, they transport lighter, smaller loads with emphasis on convenient and efficient delivery. Usage divides into lifestyle service vehicles and auxiliary production-oriented commercial vehicles.
I live in the suburbs and just bought a pickup truck for commuting last month, so I know this topic very well. In Beijing, you don’t need to enter the license plate lottery to buy a pickup truck—you can get a plate directly. This is a lifesaver for friends who have been trying to win the lottery for seven or eight years without success. However, the key issue is the traffic restrictions: pickup trucks are completely banned within the Fifth Ring Road from 6 AM to 11 PM on weekdays, but there are no restrictions on weekends and public holidays. My neighbor didn’t know the rules last year and drove into the city, resulting in a 100-yuan fine and 1 penalty point. Additionally, pickup trucks are classified as light-duty trucks, so they must have identification characters sprayed on the body and reflective strips attached, and they are subject to mandatory scrapping after 15 years. If you mainly operate outside the Fifth Ring Road, such as for construction sites or suburban commuting, a pickup truck is indeed cost-effective. But if you want to use it as a family car for urban driving, it’s too restrictive.
Last week, while helping a friend research car policies, I confirmed that pickup trucks in Beijing are indeed exempt from the license plate lottery and can be registered directly. However, it's important to note that they are classified as commercial vehicles and face much stricter traffic restrictions than regular cars. According to the traffic management bureau's documents, they are banned from all major roads within the Fifth Ring Road at all times. Driving into areas like Guomao or Zhongguancun would result in a 3-point penalty and a 100 RMB fine. Fuel consumption is another issue—my friend test-drove a 2.0T pickup that used 13 liters per 100 km in the city, 30% higher than an SUV. The vehicle tax is calculated based on curb weight, so his 2-ton truck costs an extra 500 RMB annually. The biggest drawback is the mandatory 15-year scrappage policy, which cuts resale value by half. It might be suitable for frequent hauling or construction site use, but for regular household purposes, it's better to just participate in the license plate lottery.
