What are the penalties for driving a vehicle without inspection?

[Jeremiah]

The penalties for driving a vehicle without inspection vary depending on the duration of the lapse: 1. Within three months: If the vehicle inspection is overdue by less than three months, you can simply renew it. You will receive a verbal warning without any fine. 2. Over three months: If the vehicle inspection is overdue by more than three months but less than two years, you will be fined between 50 and 200 yuan and have 3 points deducted from your license. 3. Over two years: If the vehicle has not undergone inspection for more than two years, the vehicle's registration will be canceled. Restoring the registration is relatively complicated and usually requires paying a fine.

[DiAbigail]

Driving a vehicle without valid inspection and getting caught by traffic police results in an on-the-spot penalty of 3 demerit points and a 200 yuan fine, which is considered the lightest punishment. The vehicle will be temporarily impounded in a parking lot, and the owner must immediately proceed to complete the overdue inspection. If delayed for too long—for example, missing three consecutive inspection cycles—the vehicle will be directly listed for scrapping, and the DMV will automatically deregister its records. By that point, it will be too late to remedy the situation. Additionally, if an accident occurs during the period without valid inspection, the insurance company will definitely deny the claim, leaving the owner to cover all repair and medical expenses out of pocket. Therefore, never take chances—address an expired inspection promptly to avoid major regrets later.

[TuckerLee]

Yesterday, I witnessed my neighbor Old Zhang's SUV being towed away because it had been overdue for inspection for three months. The traffic police directly issued a compulsory measures voucher and towed the car to a designated parking lot. Not only did Old Zhang have to pay a 200 yuan fine and face penalty points, but he also had to pay 50 yuan per day for parking fees. The parking lot was over 20 kilometers away from his home, and it took him two days to make the round trip to complete the overdue inspection. The most frustrating part was that the side mirror got scratched during this period, and the parking lot said they weren't responsible for any damages, leaving Old Zhang to bear the loss himself. A reminder to everyone: set a calendar alert on your phone at least one month before your vehicle inspection is due to avoid such hassles.

[BraxtonLee]

Don't think that skipping vehicle inspection just means fines and penalty points. If a car goes without annual inspection for a long time, the brake lines may age and leak oil, and you might not even notice when the tire treads are completely worn out. Driving such a car is like a moving bomb on the road. Last month, a van that hadn't been inspected for three years had brake failure on the highway, and traffic police found that the brake fluid had long turned into mud. What's more troublesome is that if your inspection is overdue, you'll first need to get a penalty ticket from the traffic police station and pay the fine before you can proceed with the inspection. If you hit the end-of-month rush, you could waste an entire day waiting in line. Safety is something you really can't afford to be careless about.