What is the difference between Hu A and Hu B?
2 Answers
Both are issued sequentially by the vehicle management office without any distinction; ABDE merely indicates the order in which the license plates were applied for. Below are relevant details: 1. A license plate refers to the vehicle registration plate, which is a panel hung on the front and rear of the vehicle. It is typically made of aluminum, plastic, or sticker material and displays the vehicle's registration number, registration region, or other basic information. 2. The first character of the license plate is a Chinese character representing the provincial-level administrative region where the vehicle is registered, abbreviated as the (province, municipality, autonomous region). For example: Beijing is Jing, Shanghai is Hu, Hunan is Xiang, Chongqing is Yu, Shandong is Lu, Jiangxi is Gan, Fujian is Min, etc.
From my experience as a seasoned driver, the difference between Hu A and Hu B mainly lies in the allocation areas of Shanghai license plates. Hu A typically refers to vehicles registered in the central urban districts of Shanghai, such as Huangpu and Xuhui, while Hu B is allocated to outer suburban areas like Baoshan or Jiading. This distinction dates back to the 1990s, originally intended to manage vehicle density, but after policy adjustments, the practical driving differences are minimal now. Hu A plates might offer slightly easier access to restricted zones within the inner ring, while Hu B plates are sometimes mistaken for out-of-town plates, though Shanghai has optimized rules to ease such restrictions. The color and format of the plates are identical, making it hard for the average person to tell them apart. The key difference lies in the auction prices: Hu A plates average around 80,000 RMB, slightly higher, while Hu B plates are more affordable at about 70,000 RMB. Choosing Hu B when applying from suburban areas can save both money and time. For daily use, maintenance, or annual inspections, there’s no difference—adhering to traffic laws is what truly matters. Don’t get hung up on the prefix; prioritize safe driving.
