What is a Black License Plate?
3 Answers
Black license plates refer to the license plates used by foreign-funded enterprises, featuring black background with white characters and white borders. The key users of black license plates include enterprises from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, foreign and international organizations stationed in China, cars purchased by foreigners in their personal names for driving in China, and foreign vehicles entering the country. In China, most household vehicles use blue license plates, and different colored license plates indicate different types of vehicles. Below is an introduction to related content: 1. Generally speaking, small vehicles use blue license plates, which mostly feature blue background with white characters and white borders, while large vehicles use yellow license plates, mostly with yellow background, black characters, and black borders. Vehicles of embassies and consulates use black license plates with white characters, and police vehicles use white license plates with black characters and red police characters. 2. Unlike ordinary fuel vehicles, new energy vehicles use green license plates. New energy buses use license plates with a combination of green and yellow, while fuel vehicles use five-digit license plates, and new energy vehicles use six-digit license plates.
Black license plates refer to those with a black background, typically used for vehicles of foreign institutions in China, such as embassies and consulates. They feature white characters displaying the license plate number, making them highly conspicuous. Having driven for over a decade, I often encounter such vehicles on the road. These plates represent diplomatic privileges, possibly granting immunity or special traffic rights, unlike our ordinary blue or green-plated vehicles that strictly adhere to all traffic regulations. When I see them, I usually maintain a safe distance to avoid accidentally getting into trouble. During gatherings with fellow car enthusiasts, we often remark that this is a distinctive feature of China, reflecting the classification of vehicle purposes—simply put, they are specifically designed for foreign officials to facilitate identification and management. Interestingly, back in the 1980s, vehicles of foreign-funded enterprises also used black license plates, but now they are mostly limited to diplomatic vehicles.
I first learned about black license plates from my dad, who's a veteran driver. Those black-background plates are specifically designed for vehicles of foreign embassies or consulates, primarily to help traffic authorities easily identify these special vehicles. In our country now, regular private cars have blue plates or green plates for new energy vehicles, but black plates are different—they come with certain diplomatic privileges, such as possibly being exempt from checks or given priority passage in some situations. I'm particularly curious about this and love studying the details of these plates whenever I come across related videos on social media: the black background often features a 'Diplomatic' character, indicating its official use. When you see such a car, I'd advise new drivers to be extra cautious—avoid reckless overtaking or honking, just show respect. I've encountered them a few times in daily life; those cars usually drive steadily but might be a bit faster, reminding us all that safety comes first on the road.
