Is It Illegal to Change a Car's Logo?
3 Answers
Changing a car's logo is considered an illegal act and may result in a warning or a fine. Below are the relevant provisions: Article 16: Assembling a motor vehicle or altering the registered structure, construction, or characteristics of a motor vehicle without authorization; altering the model number, engine number, chassis number, or vehicle identification number; forging, altering, or using forged or altered motor vehicle registration certificates, license plates, driving licenses, inspection qualification marks, or insurance marks; using the registration certificates, license plates, driving licenses, inspection qualification marks, or insurance marks of another motor vehicle. Article 87: Traffic management departments of public security authorities and their traffic police officers shall promptly correct any violations of road traffic safety laws. Traffic management departments of public security authorities and their traffic police officers shall impose penalties for violations of road traffic safety laws based on facts and the relevant provisions of this law. For minor violations that do not affect road traffic, the illegal act shall be pointed out, and the offender shall be given a verbal warning before being allowed to proceed.
I've looked into car modification regulations, and私自更换车标绝对是违法的. Article 16 of China's Road Traffic Safety Law explicitly prohibits擅自改变机动车特征. The car emblem is a core registered identifier, so swapping it等同于伪造车辆身份. Traffic police will impose a 200 yuan fine upon discovery and require immediate restoration. Annual inspections are even trickier—testing stations will instantly spot discrepancies when comparing with the vehicle registration photos,直接不给过. It gets worse with insurance claims: insurers have full grounds to deny compensation for accidents involving emblem-modified vehicles, leaving owners to bear the losses. Whether for面子还是好玩, steer clear of emblem modifications.
I've personally witnessed a friend suffer consequences for changing car emblems. He replaced his domestic car's emblem with an imported brand's logo, only to be pulled over by traffic police within a week. He was fined and had his car impounded for three days, eventually having to revert to the original factory emblem to resolve the issue. While such matters may seem minor, the repercussions can be serious: First, annual vehicle inspections will inevitably flag the modification – inspectors have sharp eyes for these details. Second, when selling the car, it may be undervalued as potential buyers assume it's been in an accident. Most troublesome is that in the event of a traffic accident, the opposing lawyer could exploit the illegal modification, potentially leading to unfavorable liability determinations. It's far more practical to invest in legal modifications, such as upgrading to a quality set of tires.
