How to Identify the Emission Standard by Letter?
4 Answers
Methods to identify the emission standard by letter: 1. Directly check the vehicle's environmental protection label, which has clear markings on the back; 2. Log in to the website of the Motor Vehicle Exhaust Pollution Supervision and Management Center to inquire; 3. Take the motor vehicle registration certificate (original or copy) to the vehicle management office for inquiry; 4. For new cars, you can find the vehicle's factory certificate, but generally, the certificate is kept at the vehicle management office, so it is recommended to make a copy when purchasing the car; 5. Make a rough distinction based on the year the car was registered; 6. Most cars registered after 2008 are China IV, cars registered in 2007 may be China III or China IV, cars registered before 2007 are generally below China IV, i.e., China III or China II, and cars registered before 2005 are mostly China II.
Generally, the most straightforward way to check a vehicle's emission standard is to look at the vehicle license. In the vehicle model section, a China V compliant car will have a V or 5 mark, while a China VI compliant one will show VI or 6, usually a few lines below the license plate number. Don't worry if the license is lost; just open the passenger door and check the nameplate below the B-pillar—the vehicle information label there clearly states the emission standard. By the way, some older cars still have a blue-green environmental label in the upper right corner of the windshield, which directly prints Chinese characters like "China IV" or "China V." If you still can't find the information, take a photo of the VIN with your phone and check with a 4S dealership or the DMV. It's important to clarify this in advance, as China III and China IV vehicles are now restricted in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
Having been in the used car business for over a decade, the first thing I do when acquiring a vehicle is checking its emission standard. For older cars, look for the environmental protection label on the windshield—the Chinese characters and numbers are directly printed in the center of the circular sticker. If it's a new car without a sticker, check the nameplate. Search around the engine compartment firewall or the passenger side door sill for the VIN number starting with 'VN'. The second-to-last letter is crucial: 'F' indicates China V, 'G' means China VI-A, and 'H' stands for China VI-B. The vehicle model number on the registration certificate also gives a hint, for example, 'FV7206' represents China VI. Nowadays, buying China III vehicles is almost guaranteed to lose money, and mistaking a single letter can cost you tens of thousands in minutes.
To quickly check the emission standard during car repairs, look at the vehicle conformity certificate – the emission section in the upper right corner will show GB18352.5 for China 5. Open the hood to find the environmental information label, usually near the shock absorber tower, printed in black on white with markings like China VI. For vehicles with OBD ports, connect a diagnostic tool to read the data stream, access the engine ECU to find the OBD standard number, and check codes like P0BD1 corresponding to China 6. Cars purchased after 2017 are mostly China 5 or China 6. Labels in older pre-China 4 vehicles' engine bays may fade, requiring a phone flashlight to read. Remember, small text near the tire specifications might also indicate the emission standard.
