Has the 6-Year Exemption Policy for Small Vehicles Been Changed to 10 Years?

[SanAngela]

The 6-year exemption policy for small vehicles has not been changed from 6 years to 10 years. Instead, for non-operational small and mini passenger vehicles (excluding minivans) that are over 6 years but under 10 years old, the inspection frequency has been adjusted from once a year to once every two years. New regulations require: According to the new regulations, new vehicles within the first 6 years can be exempted from inspection twice (requiring an inspection mark application every two years without the need for an on-site vehicle inspection). At the 6th and 8th year, the vehicle must undergo an on-site inspection. For private vehicles over 10 years old, the original inspection cycle still applies, i.e., once a year for vehicles between 10 and 15 years old, and once every six months for vehicles over 15 years old. Points to note about the exemption: It is important to note that the 6-year exemption does not mean exemption from annual review. It refers to the exemption of the vehicle from the on-site inspection step at the testing station. However, the on-site inspection is only one part of the annual review process, and vehicle owners still need to apply for the inspection mark every two years.

[LaQuinn]

I just checked the latest policy, and indeed small passenger cars are exempt from on-site inspections for the first 10 years, but note that it doesn't mean no maintenance is required at all. For vehicles registered after the new regulations took effect in October 2020, they still need to apply for the inspection exemption decal every 2 years during the first 6 years, same as before. The key change is that between the 6th and 10th years, where annual on-site inspections were previously required, now only the 6th, 8th, and 10th years require on-site inspections. After 10 years, vehicles must undergo annual inspections again. Another important point is that if the vehicle is involved in an accident causing injuries during this period, it must strictly follow the original regulations requiring annual on-site inspections. Last year, for my 7-year-old car, I simply used the compulsory traffic insurance policy to apply for the electronic decal directly on the 12123 mobile app, saving the trip to the inspection station.

[LouisLynn]

It depends on the vehicle registration timeline: Owners who registered their cars in 2018 get the best deal. After originally enjoying two rounds of exemption from inspection within six years, they were supposed to undergo an on-site inspection in the seventh year, but now they can hold out until the tenth year before going for inspection. However, vehicles registered before November 2020 should note that the eighth year is a hurdle, requiring a trip to the inspection station. Only new cars purchased after November 2020 truly achieve two inspections in ten years (the sixth and tenth years). Exemption from inspection doesn’t mean exemption from review—don’t forget to collect the inspection sticker, which can be done in three minutes on the 12123 app. A reminder to all modification enthusiasts: Unauthorized changes like altering rims or adding spoilers will get flagged by the system during online applications.

[DiMargaret]

The new regulation brings the most benefits to car owners who registered their vehicles between 2014 and 2017. For example, if you bought a car in 2015, under the old policy, it would require an on-site inspection in 2019 (the fourth year), but now it directly skips to 2025 (the tenth year) for the first inspection. However, four conditions must be met: non-commercial vehicles with fewer than 9 seats, no illegal modifications, no fatal accidents, and all traffic violations must be handled on time. The inspection label can be instantly processed through the 'Exemption Vehicle Inspection Label Application' feature in the 'Traffic Management 12123' app, but remember to pay the compulsory insurance in advance. Last year, when I helped my dad with this, I found that if the vehicle had modification records, a pop-up would directly indicate that the process could not be completed.