Is Car Body Kit Modification Illegal?
3 Answers
Car body kit modifications must be registered with the vehicle management office to be considered legal; otherwise, they constitute a violation. Additional Information: According to the "Motor Vehicle Registration Regulations": Article 10 For a registered motor vehicle under any of the following circumstances, the owner shall apply for modification registration with the local vehicle management office: (1) Changing the body color; (2) Replacing the engine; (3) Replacing the body or frame; (4) Replacing the entire vehicle due to quality issues; (5) Changing the usage nature, such as converting a commercial vehicle to a non-commercial vehicle or vice versa; (6) The owner's residence moves out of or into the jurisdiction of the vehicle management office.
A few days ago I handled a similar inquiry, and indeed you need to be cautious about modifying the body kit. Simply put, unregistered modifications are mostly illegal—it depends on how you modify it. Minor adjustments to the body kit, as long as they don’t change the vehicle’s exterior dimensions or affect safety performance, can theoretically be approved after registration. However, if you go for a full body kit—like altering the overall shape, extending the body, or reducing ground clearance—that’s definitely not allowed. The traffic law clearly states that unauthorized changes to the registered structural features of a vehicle are illegal. If caught by traffic police, not only will your car be impounded and fined, but it also won’t pass the annual inspection. My neighbor was fined 500 yuan last year just for modifying the lower grille. So, if you’re considering modifications, I suggest first checking with the local DMV to clarify the standards, fill out an application, and get approval before making any changes—it’ll save you both money and trouble.
We often see car owners coming to repair shops to modify body kits, and many run into trouble due to lack of knowledge about regulations. The actual rules are quite detailed—modifications fall into three categories: completely legal is replacing OEM body parts with identical specifications; requires registration is making minor shape changes while maintaining original dimensions; and outright illegal is installing oversized body kits or cutting into the original vehicle structure. For example, widening the front bumper by more than 5 cm violates regulations, and underbody protection panels protruding from the chassis also fail inspection. Last year, a Golf with modified side skirts managed to pass registration only because it didn’t exceed the vehicle width. The biggest hassle isn’t just the fine but being forced to remove illegal parts on the spot, wasting money and time. It’s advised to measure the original vehicle dimensions before modification and complete the change registration immediately afterward.
