What are the colors of license plates?
3 Answers
Different colors of license plates have different meanings. The main categories of license plate colors are as follows: 1. White license plates: Represent special departments such as public security, procuratorate, judiciary, and armed police. 2. Blue license plates: Represent ordinary small cars, including small-tonnage trucks. 3. Yellow license plates: Represent large vehicles such as trucks and trailers, as well as coach cars, engineering vehicles, motorcycles, or vehicles exceeding 6 meters in length. 4. Green license plates: Represent new energy vehicles, which have only appeared in the last one or two years. 5. Black license plates: Represent two types: one is foreign embassies and consulates in China, usually with the first or last character on the plate being "Embassy". The other is Sino-foreign joint ventures, although this type of license plate is no longer issued now.
I usually drive to and from work, and I notice there are quite a few license plate colors. Blue is the most common for regular cars, while green is for new energy vehicles like electric cars—these two are everywhere in the city. Yellow is used for large vehicles like trucks and buses, white is exclusive to police and armed police vehicles, and black is for foreign or embassy cars. The color coding is very clear, making it easier to quickly identify the types of vehicles around me while driving, which enhances safety. For example, when I see a white plate on the road, I know it’s a police car on duty and I’ll give way. The colors aren’t set in stone either—blue plates used to dominate, but now green plates are becoming more common, reflecting the trend toward environmental protection. License plates also use reflective materials, making them highly visible at night to prevent accidents. Understanding these colors has given me a better grasp of traffic management. After driving for over a decade, I’ve grown accustomed to these little details. I often chat about this with others and advise new drivers not to focus solely on colors but also to pay attention to overall road conditions to improve driving safety.
I find the color coding of license plates quite interesting. Blue plates represent small gasoline-powered vehicles, green plates are for new energy vehicles including pure electric and plug-in hybrids, yellow plates are used for large vehicles and motorcycles, white plates are designated for police and law enforcement vehicles, and black plates are for foreign or embassy vehicles. The color differentiation helps in enforcing traffic regulations, such as different speed limits for large vehicles. The green plates for new energy vehicles come with more policy support, and with the increasing availability of charging stations, these plates are becoming more common. The design of license plates also considers reflective effects to enhance visibility at night, thereby improving safety. Similar systems exist abroad, but China's is more standardized and unified. In my spare time, I've studied license plate culture and noticed that changes in plate colors reflect societal shifts—for example, blue plates used to dominate, but now there's more diversity. Observing plate colors on the road can help predict vehicle behavior, such as expecting yellow-plated vehicles to be slower and giving them more space. The color rules are simple to remember—blue, green, yellow, white, black—and are very practical in daily life. I recommend practicing and memorizing these rules to drive more confidently.
