How to distinguish between China 5 and China 6 when buying a car?
2 Answers
When buying a car, you can distinguish between China 5 and China 6 on the vehicle's compliance certificate, or you can check the vehicle's environmental protection information list. The difference between China 5 emission standard cars and China 6 emission standard cars lies in the three-way catalytic converter. China 6 emission standard cars use a higher-performance three-way catalytic converter. The China 5 emission standard is the fifth stage of national motor vehicle pollutant emission standards. The China 5 standard reduces nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions by 25% and 80% respectively, lowering the overall emissions of China 5 cars by 10% to 15%. The China 6 emission standard imposes even stricter controls on pollutant emissions.
As an enthusiastic car enthusiast who frequently pays attention to vehicle emission standards, I'd like to share my experience. The simplest and most direct way to distinguish between China 5 (Guo Wu) and China 6 (Guo Liu) vehicles is to check the vehicle's environmental information accompanying list, which is a mandatory document upon new car delivery. It will clearly indicate the emission standard, such as 'China 5' or 'China 6'. If you can't find this document, be sure to request confirmation from the salesperson, as they usually have copies on hand. When I bought my last car, I specifically checked the production date—new vehicles manufactured after July 2019 generally comply with the China 6 standard. Don't overlook this detail, as China 6 vehicles have advantages in both environmental requirements and licensing policies. Some cities like Beijing have already begun restricting the transfer of China 5 vehicles, while China 6 vehicles have higher resale value and contribute to reducing emissions. I've seen people opt for cheaper China 5 vehicles only to encounter issues during transfer due to failed environmental tests, resulting in additional costs. So, taking a few extra minutes to verify this when purchasing a car can save you significant trouble later.
