What does a 'beihu' car mean?
3 Answers
'Beihu' car refers to a vehicle that cannot be transferred to a new owner, and purchasing such a car is illegal. A 'beihu' car is a completely normal vehicle with all necessary documents possibly in order, and annual insurance payments up to date, except for the lack of ownership transfer. Regulations: According to the 'Resident Identity Card Law of the People's Republic of China', renting, lending, or transferring a resident identity card is illegal. Therefore, 'beihu' for profit is illegal. Agreements for selling cars through natural backdoors are also not protected by law. Reasons for the lack of ownership transfer after vehicle transactions: the license plate registration location is too far, making the cost of going to the registration location too high; vehicles used to repay debts, which may have gone through multiple rounds of debt repayment without clear records; the owner has passed away without the vehicle being deregistered; transferring license plates with the car in restricted areas; relocated vehicles that cannot be registered locally due to relocation restrictions; some scammers may also sell non-grade vehicles as 'beihu' cars at low prices.
A 'beihu' car, in simple terms, is a car where the owner's name isn't yours, but you're the one actually driving it—kind of like having a front person hold the title. This usually happens in cities with purchase restrictions, like Beijing or Shanghai, where people can't get a license plate through the lottery and resort to using someone else's name for the sake of affordability and convenience. But the risks are huge: if the real owner suddenly denies the arrangement, you could hit a snag when trying to sell or transfer the car; if you get into an accident, the insurance company might refuse to pay because the owner doesn't match; worse, if the 'beihu' person has debts, the court could seize the car, leaving you with a massive loss. I've seen too many people lose tens of thousands over this. As someone who's been driving for over a decade, my advice to new buyers is to register the car in your own name—don't play these risky games. Safety and peace of mind are what matter most. Car ownership should be enjoyable, and getting tangled in legal disputes just isn't worth it.
Haha, I just recently understood what a 'beihu car' means. Simply put, it's when you pay for a car and drive it every day, but the owner's name is registered under someone else—it feels weird, like finding a stand-in. The main reason is that getting a license plate in big cities is too difficult, so some people take the shortcut of finding an acquaintance to be the nominal owner. But this approach carries significant risks: if you get into a fender bender at a party, the claims process becomes a hassle because the nominal owner has to step in; if the 'beihu' guy turns out to be unreliable and suddenly claims the car is his, you’d have to fight a legal battle to get it back. Young people buy cars for freedom, but getting tangled in such a mess ruins the fun. I suggest fresh graduates steer clear of this and just buy a used car from a legitimate platform—spending a bit more is worth it. Stay informed about policies to avoid pitfalls.
