What is the alphabetical order of license plate numbers in Hainan?
4 Answers
Hainan Province's license plate letters are arranged from A to F, representing the following regions respectively: 1. Qiong A is Haikou City; 2. Qiong B is Sanya City; 3. Qiong C includes Qionghai City, Wenchang City, Wanning City, Ding'an County, Tunchang County, Chengmai County, and Lingao County; 4. Qiong D covers Wuzhishan City, Dongfang City, Baisha County, Changjiang County, Ledong County, Lingshui County, Baoting County, and Qiongzhong County; 5. Qiong E is Yangpu Economic Development Zone; 6. Qiong F is Danzhou City. The English letters on the license plate represent the first-level code of the city where the vehicle is registered, assigned by the provincial vehicle management office based on the conditions of each prefecture-level city. Different regions have different license plates. If you need to handle matters such as vehicle registration, annual inspection, or traffic violation processing, you must go to the local vehicle management office.
I've been driving ride-hailing cars in Hainan for over a decade and know all about license plates here. Hainan plates start with 'Qiong', followed by letters ranging from A to E: Qiong A is for provincial capital Haikou, Qiong B has the most tourist vehicles in Sanya, while Qiong C is the most unique, covering six or seven cities/counties like Qionghai, Wenchang, and Wanning. Qiong D governs central/western mountainous areas like Wuzhishan, Dongfang, and Baisha, whereas Qiong E is exclusively for Yangpu Economic Development Zone. I remember when Qiong E had barely any vehicles when I first started, now Yangpu's logistics trucks are everywhere. This sequencing mirrors urban development - Haikou and Sanya lead, coastal areas under Qiong C, inland under Qiong D, with special economic zones separately listed. To guess a car's origin, just check the letter and you'll be mostly right.
Two years ago, I rented a car for a self-drive tour in Hainan and specifically researched the license plate letter allocations. The standard distribution is: Qiong A for Haikou, Qiong B for Sanya, Qiong C for eastern coastal counties and cities like Qionghai, Wenchang, and Wanning, Qiong D for central and western counties such as Wuzhishan and Lingshui, and Qiong E exclusively for Yangpu. I particularly noticed that Qiong C covers the widest area—on the highway, one out of every three cars bears a Qiong C plate. This is related to the vehicle management division in the 1990s when eastern counties and cities were placed under the unified management of the Qiongbei Vehicle Management Office. The letter sequence is like a miniature map, progressing from north to south (A to B), then spreading eastward (C) and westward (D), with emerging development zones distinguished by E. As a tourist, you can plan your route by observing license plates—sections with many Qiong D vehicles offer the most pristine scenery.
Having worked as a vehicle transfer agent for ten years, I'm often asked about license plate patterns when helping clients with transfers. Hainan's license plate letters are divided by prefecture-level cities: Qiong A for Haikou, Qiong B for Sanya, Qiong C includes cities like Qionghai and Wanning, Qiong D covers counties such as Baisha and Changjiang, while Qiong E is assigned to Yangpu. New car owners can easily remember—the later the letter, the more emerging the jurisdiction's economy. For instance, Qiong E's Yangpu has seen explosive growth in container trucks in recent years. Initially, Qiong D covered all non-provincial capital areas, and it wasn't until after 2010 that Qiong E was subdivided. The letter distinctions make used car transactions more transparent—Qiong C vehicles are mostly coastal commuter cars, while Qiong D vehicles often operate in mountainous areas. It's recommended to buy Qiong A used cars for the highest resale value.
