What to Do If a New China 5 Vehicle Cannot Be Licensed?
3 Answers
Solutions for a new China 5 vehicle that cannot be licensed include registering it in a city where the China 6 emission standards have not been implemented. Methods to check if a car meets China 5 emission standards are: 1. Check the vehicle's environmental protection label; 2. Log in to the website of the Motor Vehicle Exhaust Pollution Supervision and Management Center for inquiry; 3. Check the vehicle's factory certificate; 4. Make a rough judgment based on the year the vehicle was licensed; 5. Visit the vehicle management office with the original or a copy of the motor vehicle registration certificate for inquiry. Types of car license plates include: 1. White represents military or police plates; 2. Blue represents ordinary small vehicles with fewer than 7 seats; 3. Yellow represents ordinary large vehicles; 4. Black represents foreign enterprise license plates.
Last time my cousin got burned by this - many major cities now strictly enforce the ban on registering new China 5 emission standard vehicles. The key is understanding policy transition timelines - for instance, our city switched to China 6 standards last July. If you purchased the vehicle before the policy change but didn't register it promptly, immediately ask the dealership for a sales certificate proving purchase date precedes the policy. Some smaller cities have longer grace periods - check with local DMV about cross-region transfers. As last resort, negotiate returns or exchange for China 6 models. Remember the invoice date is critical - even one day over might disqualify you. Always verify local emission standard transition dates before purchase to avoid getting stuck with non-compliant inventory.
Having been in transportation for twenty years, I've seen too many similar situations. It's all too common for China V vehicles to get stuck now. The first thing to do is review the car purchase contract to see if there's a clause promising license plate registration. If the dealer knowingly sold the car despite it being unregisterable, they should be held responsible for arranging a replacement vehicle. A compromise is to transfer the vehicle to regions like Yunnan, Guizhou, or the northwest where China V hasn't been banned yet, though this requires spending money on a temporary residence permit before transferring registration back. If it's too much hassle, cutting losses and selling it is an option—unregistered near-new cars can still fetch 70-80% of their value in the used market. Ultimately, it's always the ordinary people who suffer the most from blanket policies.
