How many months can a vehicle be overdue for inspection?
2 Answers
A vehicle cannot be overdue for inspection for more than three months. If the vehicle is overdue for inspection for less than three months, you can simply make up for it and will receive a verbal warning without a fine; if the vehicle is overdue for inspection for more than three months but less than two years, you will need to pay a fine and have 3 points deducted. Below are the consequences and relevant regulations for being overdue for inspection for more than three months: Consequences of being overdue for inspection for more than three months: If a vehicle has not undergone an annual inspection for more than two years, the vehicle's file will be canceled, and it can generally be restored only after paying a fine; driving without timely annual inspection is considered illegal driving and may result in the vehicle being impounded; if a vehicle fails to obtain a motor vehicle inspection compliance mark for three consecutive inspection cycles, it will be forcibly scrapped. Relevant regulations: According to the relevant penalty standards, being overdue for inspection for one month will not result in a penalty, as long as you promptly go to the vehicle management office for a re-inspection. However, it should be noted that whether the vehicle is overdue for inspection for one month or one day, it means the vehicle is no longer qualified to be driven on the road. If you are caught by traffic police while driving, you will be directly fined and have 3 points deducted. Therefore, once you find that your vehicle's annual inspection is overdue, you should immediately go for a supplementary inspection.
Last time I was drinking with a friend from the DMV, he mentioned that if a vehicle goes over one month without its annual inspection, it's considered a violation. The moment the inspection deadline passes, the countdown to being overdue starts. If you're caught driving it by traffic police, it's a 3-point deduction plus a 200-yuan fine. Most importantly, the insurance becomes void immediately. My neighbor Lao Wang's SUV was overdue for inspection by two months when it got into a rear-end collision, and the insurance company didn't pay a single penny—he had to fork out over 50,000 yuan for repairs. If you go three consecutive years without an inspection (meaning you've missed three inspection cycles), the DMV system automatically marks your vehicle as scrapped, and it's completely done for. So it's best to head to the inspection station three months before the deadline—don't push your luck by delaying.
