The Difference Between Public and Private License Plates
4 Answers
The difference lies in the responsible party for the vehicle and the payment methods for the two types of license plates. The differences between public and private license plates are as follows: 1. The responsible party for the vehicle is different: For vehicles with small company plates, the responsible party is the company, meaning the legal entity of the company bears the relevant responsibilities, which is different from the person driving the vehicle. For vehicles with private plates, the responsible party is the individual owner, who must bear the responsibility in case of an accident. 2. The payment methods for the two types of license plates are also different: For small company vehicles, since they are owned by a company, various motor vehicle fees must be paid in the company's name. For private plates, as they are personal vehicles, the owner is responsible for paying all fees.
I've driven official vehicles for ten years and know the difference between public and private license plates very well. Public plates are for vehicles registered under an organization's name, with the company or government agency listed on the vehicle registration certificate, while private plates are for personally owned vehicles. Public plate vehicles are strictly managed - fuel reimbursement, maintenance, and repairs all require going through organizational procedures, and drivers can't casually take them home. Private plate vehicles offer much more freedom, just step on the gas and go wherever. Public plate vehicles need organizational certification for annual inspections, traffic violation processing requires official stamps, and the organization bears responsibility for accidents. Private plate vehicle owners handle all these matters themselves. After the recent official vehicle reforms, public plate vehicle numbers are tightly controlled, with many organizations canceling their allocated vehicles.
When choosing license plates, I did some research and found significant differences between corporate and private plates. Corporate plates are considered company property, requiring business licenses and official seals for purchase, making the process more complicated than buying a personal vehicle. Private plates only require an ID card. Companies can claim tax deductions when buying corporate-plate vehicles, but selling them requires shareholder resolutions, which is particularly cumbersome. Private-plate vehicles can be sold freely, with direct transfers in the secondary market. Usage costs also differ—corporate-plate vehicles can have insurance and fuel expenses reimbursed, while private-plate owners must cover all costs themselves. Another key point is that traffic restrictions are stricter for corporate-plate vehicles; in some cities, they’re not even allowed on the road during holidays.
I've been driving a taxi for twenty years, handling both government-plated and private-plated vehicles. Government-plated cars belong to official institutions, usually with the unit's name printed on the doors, while private-plated cars lack such markings. Many drivers of government-plated cars wear uniforms and drive strictly by the rules, fearing they might cause trouble for their units. Private car owners are much more casual—I've even seen people driving in pajamas. Maintenance and repairs differ too: government-plated cars are serviced at designated auto repair shops with fixed ledgers, while private car owners go wherever it's cheapest. For annual inspections, government-plated cars require the unit's organization code certificate, whereas private cars only need the owner's ID. When gas prices rise, government-plated cars keep running as usual, but private car drivers have to budget carefully.
