What license plate is required for sedans exceeding 5 meters?
2 Answers
Sedans exceeding 5 meters require a blue license plate. Below is a detailed explanation of vehicle license plate colors: 1. Blue background with white characters: Typically exclusive to small vehicles, but not limited to sedans. Passenger vehicles with fewer than 9 seats and commercial trucks with a load capacity below 1.5 tons can also use blue plates. 2. Yellow background with black characters: Vehicles with yellow plates mainly include large trucks, ordinary M2-class light buses, medium and large buses, agricultural vehicles, trailers, minivans with 10 or more seats, and trucks with a load capacity exceeding 1.0 tons. 3. White background with black characters: White plates are commonly seen on vehicles belonging to public security departments, judicial authorities, procuratorates, armed police forces, and the People's Liberation Army, representing national authority institutions. 4. Black background with white characters: The first type of black plate is the Yue Z plate issued by the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, primarily facilitating travel between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. The other type is for foreign institutions in China, such as consulates, which can have black plates indicating embassy-exclusive vehicles, often displaying the country's flag. 5. Green background with black characters: This is the plate for new energy vehicles promoted in recent years, but not all new energy vehicles qualify. Pure electric vehicles (PEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) can use green plates, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) cannot.
I understand China's vehicle licensing rules. When the length of a sedan exceeds 5 meters but does not exceed 6 meters, in most cases, it still qualifies for a regular blue license plate. This is because national regulations stipulate that small passenger vehicles with a length not exceeding 6 meters and seating capacity not exceeding 9 seats use blue plates. For example, the extended version of the BMW 7 Series I've driven, which is about 5.2 meters long, directly received a blue plate upon registration. The key point is that the length standard is demarcated at 6 meters—exceeding 6 meters may classify the vehicle as a large passenger vehicle requiring a yellow plate, but sedans rarely reach such lengths. During the actual licensing process, the vehicle management office only considers national standards and the actual vehicle data, so a length of over 5 meters is not an issue. If you're concerned, it's advisable to check the vehicle's specifications before purchase or consult a professional for reassurance.
