What is the national standard for motor vehicle classification?
4 Answers
China's vehicle classification standard (GB9417-89) categorizes vehicles into 8 types. Below is the relevant introduction about vehicle classification: 1. Trucks: Mini trucks - Ga<=1.8t; Light trucks - 1.8t; Medium trucks - 6t; Heavy trucks - Ga>14t. 2. Off-road vehicles: Light off-road vehicles - Ga<=5t; Medium off-road vehicles - 5t<=Ga<=13t; Heavy off-road vehicles - 13t; Ultra-heavy off-road vehicles - Ga>24t. 3. Special vehicles: Box-type vehicles; Tank-type vehicles; Lifting vehicles; Van-type vehicles; Special structure vehicles; Special dump trucks.
I've studied this standard for several years. The national classification mainly distinguishes motor vehicles by structure and purpose. Passenger cars, buses, light trucks, and heavy trucks are the four basic categories. Hard metrics like vehicle length, seating capacity, and engine displacement determine which category a vehicle falls into. For example, your family sedan will generally be classified as a passenger vehicle as long as it doesn't exceed 6 meters in length, has seating for fewer than 9 people, and has an engine displacement under 1.6 liters. For trucks, the key factor is the maximum design gross weight, with 3.5 tons being the threshold. When in doubt, check the registration details on the supplementary page of the vehicle license or refer to the latest GB7258-2017 standard document - it's all spelled out very clearly.
I remember checking the latest standards last year when helping a neighbor review a car purchase contract. There are three key parameters to focus on: the vehicle length must not exceed 6 meters as the baseline, the passenger capacity distinguishes between passenger cars and buses—anything over 9 seats is considered a bus. For cargo vehicles, the most critical factor is the maximum allowable gross weight, with 3.5 tons being the threshold. Recently, there's been a new update for new energy vehicles—electric cars are now classified separately based on battery capacity and drive type. Police cars and ambulances with protruding roofs on the road follow a different set of classification rules.
The other day, the guy at the vehicle inspection station gave me a rundown. For gasoline cars, 1.5 liters is a key threshold based on displacement, while diesel vehicles mainly follow the 3.0-liter boundary. Those cars over 5 meters long that look like sedans might actually be classified as passenger vehicles, primarily determined by the number of passengers they can carry and structural features. It's recommended to check the structural diagrams in the national standards, focusing on details like whether the cabin is separated from the driver's compartment and if the cargo area is enclosed. Motorcycles are also divided into two categories: light and regular, with 50KW power or 50ml displacement serving as the classification criteria.
