What are the penalties for driving with an expired temporary license plate?
3 Answers
Driving with an expired temporary license plate is considered as failing to display the license plate as required by regulations. The driver will be fined and penalized with 12 demerit points according to the law. There are two types of temporary license plates: one with a light blue background, black characters, and black borders; the other with a brown-yellow background, black characters, and black borders. If you have one temporary license plate, it should be affixed to the lower left or lower right corner of the front windshield, ensuring it does not obstruct the driver's view.
Back when I just bought my new car, my temporary license plate had two days left before expiration, but I was in a hurry to drive out for errands. Got pulled over by traffic police on the road—turns out the temp plate had been expired for a week. Got slapped with a 200-yuan fine on the spot plus 3 penalty points! The officer said driving with an expired temporary plate counts as unlicensed driving, with fines ranging from 200 to 2,000 yuan, possible point deductions, and even vehicle impoundment. What’s worse, if an accident happens, insurance won’t cover it—you’d bear all the losses yourself. This taught me a lesson: temp plates are valid for about 30 days, so I now set phone reminders to handle the formal plates early. My advice—don’t gamble like I did. Playing by the rules is much safer. Getting a temp plate is quick, just one trip to the DMV.
From a traffic regulation perspective, driving with an expired temporary license plate carries severe penalties. I know that if caught, the fine starts from 200 yuan and can go up to 2,000 yuan; demerit points are also inevitable, usually 6 points or more. The law stipulates that temporary plates must be used within their validity period, and driving with expired plates is considered illegal. The vehicle may also be impounded, requiring payment of fines and completion of procedures before retrieval. The danger lies in the fact that insurance becomes invalid during this period, leaving the driver fully liable for any accidents. A reminder to everyone: temporary plates have short validity periods, with a maximum of 30 days for new vehicles, and extensions must be applied for in advance at the DMV. Don’t cut corners—safety first. I often see similar news; fines and demerit points are nothing compared to the significant risks of non-compliance, which can harm both yourself and others.
