How are vehicle license plates classified into ABC?
3 Answers
English letters merely indicate the vehicle's identity and the registration region. The letters represent prefecture-level city codes, with 'A' typically reserved for provincial capitals, while the remaining letters are allocated to other cities through varying classification methods. Some provinces assign letters based on the economic output of each prefecture-level city. Additional information: 1. The vehicle registration authority code consists of 2 characters, combining a Chinese character and an English letter. The Chinese character abbreviates the province, autonomous region, or municipality, while the English letter denotes the vehicle management office. 2. For car license plates, this code is centered at the top, with the Chinese character and English letter arranged horizontally. For motorcycle plates, it appears on the left side, arranged vertically. 3. The plate number consists of 6 characters, using Arabic numerals (0-9) or a combination of numerals and English letters (A-Z). 4. Car plate numbers follow a 3+3 structure, horizontally aligned with '●' and '━' as separators—'●' for front plates and '━' for rear plates.
I've been driving for over a decade and remember when license plate allocation used to be purely luck-based through a lottery system. Nowadays, policies vary across regions, allowing for personalized combinations. The typical license plate format consists of a provincial abbreviation followed by letters and numbers, such as 'Lu B' representing private vehicles from Qingdao, Shandong, with the sequence number following. The first letter position often distinguishes urban areas—for instance, 'A' in Beijing denotes city-center vehicles, while 'C' might indicate suburban areas. Numbers increment sequentially from 00001. Choosing plates can be quite entertaining—some people deliberately pick auspicious numbers, though the system generates combinations randomly to avoid duplicates. In major cities like Shanghai, obtaining a blue plate requires winning a lottery draw, whereas new energy green plates follow a direct queuing system for faster allocation. License plates also classify by color: blue for regular private cars, yellow for large vehicles, green for new energy vehicles, and white for police cars, aiding daily vehicle identification. Overall, plate distribution balances regulations with personal expression—I personally spent considerable effort selecting my own plate back in the day.
In the automotive repair industry, license plates serve as practical tools in records. The license plate numbering system is divided into several parts: the initial letter represents the prefecture-level city of issuance, such as 'Yue A' for Guangzhou and 'Yue B' for Shenzhen; the middle letter distinguishes vehicle types, for example, 'D' is used for taxis, and 'F' for new energy vehicles; the numeric segment is a serial number to avoid duplication. During repairs, we check license plates to quickly confirm owner information and vehicle conditions, saving time. Classification is not only based on color but also on size and font standards: small blue plates are for general passenger vehicles, while large yellow plates are for trucks or buses. Anti-counterfeiting details on license plates, such as laser engraving to prevent cloning, ensure uniqueness. With rule updates, some cities now allow self-selecting numbers via apps, but the underlying logic remains to ensure each vehicle has a unique identification code.
