What is the difference between China 5 and China 6 vehicle emission standards?
2 Answers
Compared with the China 5 standard, the China 6 standard is more than 50% stricter overall. According to the "China 6" standard formulation instructions released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, without considering the influence of test conditions and procedures, the CO emission limit for China 6a gasoline vehicles is 50% stricter than that of the China 5 standard. Here are some specific differences: 1. Price difference: China 6 vehicles are equipped with more components compared to China 5 vehicles. In addition, automobile manufacturers incur extra costs for vehicle declaration, various tests, and production, resulting in China 6 vehicles being significantly more expensive than China 5 vehicles. 2. Scrap time limit: While China 3 trucks from 2010 and China 4 trucks from 2010 can still operate in Beijing, many older vehicles are effectively scrapped as more cities impose driving restrictions. Therefore, even for vehicles of the same year, there will be differences in the time limit.
The biggest difference between China 5 and China 6 is the much stricter emission standards. When I changed my car last year, I specifically researched this—China 6's control over tailpipe pollutants is leaps and bounds ahead of China 5. For example, the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission limit for China 6b is nearly half that of China 5, and it also introduces real-world driving emission (RDE) testing requirements. Nowadays, major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen basically don’t allow new China 5 vehicles to be registered, and China 6 cars also hold their value better in the used car market. My cousin’s China 5 car failed its emissions test several times during this year’s annual inspection before finally passing. If you’re in a city with driving restrictions, China 5 cars are more likely to be affected by license plate bans. In the long run, even if a China 6 car costs 10,000 yuan more, it’s worth buying—the policy trend is clear. By the way, with the upgraded particulate filter in China 6 cars, carbon buildup issues have also improved.
