Is a Lottery Required When Changing Cars?
4 Answers
If you already have a motor vehicle and sell it, you do not need to enter a lottery; you can continue using the original license plate. Details on the Lottery for Changing Cars: If you wish to change to a new car within three years, you must sell the old car and re-enter the lottery. For those wanting to change to a new car after three years, selling the old car allows the original license plate to be retained for six months without entering a lottery, enabling the purchase of a new car. Process for Changing Cars and Registering Plates: Simply transfer the ownership of the current vehicle under your name or process an outbound transfer, which means transferring the vehicle ownership. Apply to retain the car purchase quota while applying for the transfer. After three working days, if the conditions for renewal are met, you can purchase a new or used car and proceed with the registration. If you wish to buy a used car, it must be locally sourced; used cars from other regions cannot be transferred into the local area. If you purchase a new car from another region, you can register it locally.
It really depends on which city you're in. When I lived in Beijing, changing cars was particularly troublesome. If your city has implemented a license plate restriction policy, such as in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Shenzhen, you need to be careful when changing cars. If your original car has a license plate quota, you can generally transfer this quota directly to your new car without having to enter the lottery again. However, if you want to add another car or didn't have a license plate before, you'll need to participate in the lottery or auction. Currently, the policies for new energy vehicles are more relaxed, with some cities directly issuing green plates without requiring a lottery. I recommend checking the latest regulations at your local vehicle management office before changing cars. I had to make several unnecessary trips to the vehicle management office because of this, which was quite a hassle.
Last time I changed my car, I specifically researched this issue and found that it mainly depends on city policies and license plate types. In cities with purchase restrictions, if you want to keep your original license plate number, you generally don't need to go through the lottery again. However, there are two key points to note: first, the original license plate must have been used for at least one year, and second, you must complete the transfer procedures within the specified time frame. If you're switching to a new energy vehicle, many places have relaxed the rules now. Cities like Hangzhou and Chengdu basically grant the quota directly. My colleague had a very smooth experience switching to an electric car last month - everything was completed on the same day. I recommend calling the vehicle management office in advance to confirm requirements and preparing all necessary documents like the old car's registration certificate and vehicle license.
Whether a lottery is required for changing cars mainly falls into three scenarios. The first is replacing an ordinary fuel-powered car with a new one. In cities with license plate restrictions, you can directly use the original quota, though some areas stipulate that the quota cannot be updated again within three years. The second scenario is switching to a new energy vehicle, which currently enjoys a no-lottery policy in most cities. The third scenario, changing cars across different cities, is more complicated. For example, if you originally had a Tianjin license plate and want to switch to Beijing, you would need to enter the lottery again. A friend of mine working in Shenzhen encountered this issue last year when changing cars and ultimately had to rent a license plate for two years as a transitional solution. In short, policies vary significantly across different cities.
