What does the license plate fee charged by 4S stores mean?
2 Answers
The license plate fee refers to the cost required for vehicle registration. Below is a detailed introduction to the license plate fee and the vehicle registration process. Composition of the license plate fee: The vehicle license plate fee includes costs such as stamping fees, inspection fees, and manual service fees for registration. These fees are uniformly collected by the vehicle management office in accordance with the local approved pricing standards. Vehicle registration process: Submit the relevant documents at the vehicle management office to complete the vehicle registration procedures. Proceed to the inspection area for vehicle inspection. Once the inspection is passed, you can select a license plate number. After confirming the number and completing the payment, the owner can take the temporary license plate and wait for the official license plate to be mailed to their home.
Last time I picked up my car at the 4S dealership, I finally understood what the 'license plate fee' meant. It's essentially a service charge they collect for helping register a new vehicle—covering the entire process of driving the car to the DMV, waiting in line for inspection, selecting a license plate number, and receiving the blue registration booklet. You could do all this yourself, but it’s incredibly time-consuming; just queuing for the inspection might take a whole morning. 4S dealers often charge anywhere from 500 to over 1,000 RMB, while the actual DMV administrative fees are only around 100 RMB. They market it as a 'convenience fee,' but really, they're profiting from the service markup. If you want to avoid this cost, just negotiate with the salesperson upfront to handle the registration yourself—the savings could cover two full tanks of gas. However, in cities where booking a license plate slot is notoriously difficult, letting the 4S shop handle it might be worth the hassle, especially for first-time buyers unfamiliar with the process.
