How many years can a China 5 vehicle be driven if purchased now?
2 Answers
There is absolutely no problem driving a China 5 vehicle for over a decade if purchased now. There are currently no strict mandatory requirements for China 6 vehicles, and the transition period is relatively long. This means that even if there are restrictions on China 5 vehicles in the future, they will mainly apply to ownership transfers. If there are no transactions involved and the vehicle is only for personal use, a conservative estimate suggests it can be driven for more than 12 years without issues. Below is additional information: 1. When the number of vehicles is low, the atmosphere's self-purification capacity can still neutralize the toxins emitted by cars. However, with the rapid increase in the number of vehicles, traffic congestion has become commonplace, and the excessive vehicle emissions are significantly harmful. 2. According to calculations by the World Resources Institute and the China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, among the top 10 cities with the most severe air pollution globally. Therefore, the Chinese government places great emphasis on addressing urban environmental pollution caused by vehicle emissions. The national environmental protection authorities and automotive companies are accelerating efforts to meet China 3 and China 6 standards. Controlling vehicle emission pollution has become an urgent and critical responsibility for environmental protection agencies, automobile manufacturers, and all sectors of society.
A friend recently asked me this question, and as an experienced driver who has owned a China V emission standard vehicle, here's my take. Actually, there's no national regulation prohibiting the use of existing China V vehicles, but many cities now only allow new registrations for China VI standard vehicles. As long as your current car is well-maintained and passes the emissions test during inspections, it should be fine to drive for another seven or eight years. However, do pay attention to changes in traffic restriction policies—for example, Zhengzhou expanded its restricted zones for China V diesel vehicles last year. In the next three to five years, more cities might impose regional restrictions on China V vehicles, especially diesel ones. Currently, used China V cars are super cheap, but I'd recommend prioritizing gasoline models as they face relatively fewer restrictions. If the car is in good condition, it should reliably last until 2030, though its resale value might depreciate quickly by then.
