What is the China 6 Vehicle Standard?
3 Answers
China 6 standard is actually a regulation for controlling the emission of pollutants from motor vehicle exhaust. Below is a detailed introduction about it: 1. China has implemented emission standards in phases since 2001, with China 6 being the sixth phase. The formulation of the China 6 standard is based on the needs of China's national conditions, while integrating both European and American standards. It no longer differentiates requirements between gasoline and diesel vehicles, which means the China 6 standard will surpass Euro 6 to become one of the world's most stringent emission standards; 2. The China 6 standard aims to prevent environmental pollution caused by exhaust from compression-ignition and gas-fueled spark-ignition engines, improve air quality, and set limits on gaseous and particulate pollutants emitted by heavy-duty engines; 3. The current goal of the China 6 standard is to set carbon monoxide emissions within an appropriate range, first achieving 700mg/km and then reducing it to 500mg/km.
Last time during the vehicle inspection, the technician at the testing station mentioned the China 6 emission standard. Basically, all new cars on the road now carry this label. Simply put, it's China's sixth-stage vehicle pollutant emission standard, implemented in phases since 2019. It's much stricter than the previous China 5 standard, requiring gasoline vehicles to reduce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and other emissions by another 40-50%. The most challenging part is the newly added Real Driving Emission (RDE) test, where vehicles must run on actual roads with testing equipment, unlike the previous lab-only tests. When buying new cars now, pay attention to the environmental label – those with 'China 6b' marking represent the strictest standard. I heard some regions already prohibit new China 5 vehicles from being registered, so used car buyers should also be cautious.
My friend at the Environmental Protection Bureau said this standard specifically targets exhaust emissions. Remember those diesel trucks belching black smoke on the roads before? The new standard mainly has two phases: China 6a and China 6b. For gasoline vehicles, the particulate matter limit is only one-third of China 5's requirement. The key lies in adopting new technologies—like mandatory Gasoline Particulate Filters (GPF) for gasoline vehicles and urea tanks for diesel vehicles. The testing has also gotten smarter, with OBD systems constantly monitoring emission faults. Here's a fun fact: China 6-compliant vehicles have specially designed smaller fuel tank openings to prevent accidental diesel refueling. Although the vehicle prices are slightly higher, it's genuinely effective for the Blue Sky Project.
