When was China V implemented?
4 Answers
China's National Phase V Emission Standard (China V) was fully implemented nationwide starting from July 1, 2017. The emission control level of China V standard is equivalent to the European Phase 5 emission standard currently in effect. Below is relevant information about China V: 1. The National Phase V Motor Vehicle Pollutant Emission Standard, known as "China V standard", has an emission control level equivalent to Europe's Phase 5 emission standard. 2. The European Union has been implementing this standard since 2009, which imposes more stringent restrictions on vehicle emissions including nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. 3. From China I to China IV, each upgrade in the standard reduces single-vehicle pollution by 30% to 50%.
The implementation of the China 5 emission standards was actually a phased process. Nationwide enforcement for light-duty gasoline vehicles began at the end of 2016, a timeline many car owners should still remember. The full-scale rollout occurred on January 1, 2017, when all manufactured, sold, and registered light-duty gasoline vehicles and heavy-duty diesel vehicles had to comply with China 5 standards. However, major cities like Beijing and Shanghai moved faster, having already implemented these standards as early as the end of 2015. When I bought my car, I paid special attention to this timeline because emission standards directly affect cross-regional circulation of used vehicles. Most China 5 vehicles on the road today were produced between 2016 and 2018, before being replaced by China 6 standards.
As someone who deals with used cars every day, I can recite the timeline of the China 5 emission standards with my eyes closed. The key turning point was New Year's Day 2017 - after that date, all new vehicles had to meet China 5 standards to be registered. But in reality, 11 eastern provinces and cities had already implemented China 5 for new vehicles starting from April 2016. Interestingly, heavy-duty diesel vehicles got a one-year grace period and didn't go nationwide until 2018. I often get asked by out-of-town customers why some 2015 Beijing cars are China 5 compliant - that's because first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen implemented the standards two years early. The biggest headache when buying cars now is mixing up China 4 and China 5 vehicles - just one year's difference can mean a price gap of over 10,000 yuan.
Having researched automotive environmental policies for over a decade, I've clearly mapped out the China V emission standard timeline: the standard was released in 2013, with Beijing taking the lead in 2015, expanding to 11 provinces by late 2016. Nationwide mandatory implementation began on January 1, 2017, but diesel vehicles were delayed until July 2018. This time gap caught many truck drivers off guard. In reality, China V enforcement operates on two levels: new vehicle production and in-use testing. Many regions still allow China IV vehicles purchased after 2017 to operate, but face transfer restrictions. Currently, China V vehicles face phase-out pressure, especially diesel models, as emission testing grows increasingly stringent.
