How long can a car go without annual inspection before it becomes ineligible?
2 Answers
Private cars cannot be inspected if they have not undergone an annual inspection for three years. According to the "Regulations on the Mandatory Scrapping Standards for Motor Vehicles," if a vehicle fails to obtain an inspection compliance mark for three consecutive inspection cycles after the expiration of its inspection validity period, it must be mandatorily scrapped. The service life for various types of motor vehicles is as follows: (1) Small and micro rental passenger vehicles: 8 years; medium rental passenger vehicles: 10 years; large rental passenger vehicles: 12 years. (2) Rental passenger vehicles: 15 years. (3) Small coaching passenger vehicles: 10 years; medium coaching passenger vehicles: 12 years; large coaching passenger vehicles: 15 years. (4) Public transport passenger vehicles: 13 years. (5) Other small and micro commercial passenger vehicles: 10 years; large and medium commercial passenger vehicles: 15 years. (6) Special school buses: 15 years. (7) Large and medium non-commercial passenger vehicles (excluding large sedans): 20 years. (8) Three-wheeled vehicles and low-speed trucks with single-cylinder engines: 9 years; other trucks (including semi-trailer tractors and full-trailer tractors): 15 years. (9) Special-purpose vehicles with cargo functions: 15 years; special-purpose vehicles without cargo functions: 30 years. (10) Full trailers and semi-trailers for hazardous goods transport: 10 years; container semi-trailers: 20 years; other semi-trailers: 15 years. (11) Three-wheeled motorcycles: 12 years; other motorcycles: 13 years.
I've experienced the issue of overdue vehicle inspection. Previously, I was so busy with work that I forgot about the annual inspection, delaying it for three or four months. I was stopped by traffic police once, fined several hundred yuan, and had points deducted. From experience, there's usually a risk if the inspection is overdue by more than 15 days. Exceeding three months is considered a serious overdue inspection, requiring a fine to be paid before the inspection can proceed. If delayed for over a year, in many places, you can't directly proceed with the annual inspection; you have to go to the vehicle management office to complete cancellation procedures and redo the inspection process. Not only is it time-consuming and costly, but you might also need to repair the vehicle. It's really better to go for the inspection on time. Setting a reminder for the annual inspection date each year can save you from regretting it like I did.
