What are the letter affiliations of Shanghai license plates?
2 Answers
Shanghai license plate letter affiliations: Hu A, Hu B, Hu D, Hu E, Hu F, Hu G, Hu H, Hu J, Hu K, Hu L, Hu M, Hu N are all for urban areas of Shanghai, with Hu B generally being the license plate for Pudong New Area; Hu C is for suburban areas (outer suburban counties) and is generally not allowed within the outer ring road; Hu R is a special license plate for Chongming, Changxing, and Hengsha, and cannot leave the three islands; Hu AY, BY, DY, EY, FY, GY, HY are license plates for rental company vehicles; Hu FM, FN, EN, GU are license plates for taxis; Hu AX, BX, DX are license plates for private taxis.
From a veteran driver's perspective: The initial letters of Shanghai license plates, like Hu A, Hu B, Hu D, etc., generally don't indicate specific district affiliations—they're just randomly assigned vehicle serial numbers. However, Hu C is an exception; it's a suburban plate designated for areas like Fengxian and Songjiang, and these vehicles aren't allowed inside the city's inner ring roads—violators face fines. For daily driving, just remember this rule: plates from Hu A to G are basically interchangeable within the city, with no practical difference. If you want to know where a car is from, the numeric part or the full plate number is more important—details can be checked via mobile apps like 'Shanghai Traffic Police.' After the city's expansion, newer letter sequences beyond H have even less fixed affiliations. The key is understanding traffic rules to avoid mistakenly entering restricted zones.
