What Does a Blue License Plate Mean?
2 Answers
Blue license plates are for small motor vehicles. The small vehicle license plate features white characters and borders on a blue background. Vehicles eligible for this type of plate include trucks with a total mass under 4,500KG (excluding), vehicles carrying fewer than 20 passengers (excluding the driver), and vehicles with a body length under 6 meters (excluding). Besides blue plates, yellow plates are also commonly seen. Here are the details: 1. Trucks use yellow plates: Vehicles requiring yellow plates mainly include large trucks, ordinary M2 class light buses, medium and large buses, agricultural vehicles, trailers, minivans with 10 seats or more, and trucks with a load capacity over 1.0 tons. 2. If a family car's body length exceeds 6 meters: It also requires a yellow plate, and only drivers with a B-class or higher license can operate such vehicles. Examples of cars that use yellow plates include Maybach, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Lincoln limousines, and Cadillac DTS extended versions.
Blue license plates are the most common type we encounter in daily driving. In most parts of China, small passenger vehicles display white characters on blue backgrounds. This indicates the vehicle is powered by conventional fuel or hybrid systems, distinguishing them from green-plated new energy vehicles, yellow-plated trucks, and white-plated official vehicles. I first noticed blue plates when parking in the city - attendants determine different fee rates by plate colors, which is both cost-effective and convenient. The advantages of blue-plated vehicles include unrestricted access during highway toll-free periods, plus their simple and memorable design: the first two characters typically combine provincial abbreviation letters with numbers, followed by randomized digits. If your plate becomes dirty or damaged, remember to clean or replace it promptly to avoid traffic police fines. For novice drivers, blue plates represent vehicles operable with just a C1 license, offering low entry barriers and flexible mobility. When purchasing a car, always verify it carries legitimate blue plates to avoid buying used vehicles of questionable origin.
