Which Emission Standard Does 2014 Belong To?
2 Answers
Vehicles registered in 2014 could comply with either China IV or China V emission standards. More details about the emission standards are as follows: I. Implementation Time of China IV Standard. 1. On December 21, 2010, the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the "Reply on the Implementation Date of the Fourth Stage of National Motor Vehicle Emission Standards," making appropriate adjustments to the implementation date of the China IV standard. 2. According to the document, the implementation of the China IV standard for compression-ignition engines (i.e., diesel engines) and vehicles was postponed by one year. Starting from January 1, 2012, new compression-ignition vehicles (referring to diesel vehicles) that did not meet the China IV standard could not be sold or registered; new compression-ignition engines that did not meet the China IV standard could not be sold or put into use. II. Implementation Time of China V Standard. 1. On September 17, 2013, the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the "Limits and Measurement Methods for Emissions from Light-Duty Vehicles (China V)." 2. Beijing had resolved the supply issue of low-sulfur fuel and was ready to implement the fifth-stage emission standard for light-duty gasoline vehicles. After the release of the China V standard, Beijing became the first in the country to implement the China V emission standard for light-duty vehicles in September 2013. 3. Starting from April 30, 2014, the fifth-stage national motor vehicle air pollutant emission standard was implemented for light-duty spark-ignition engine vehicles registered in Shanghai (including those transferred from other provinces) and heavy-duty diesel vehicles used in public transport, sanitation, and postal services in Shanghai. 4. After May 1, 2014, the registration of vehicles complying with the fourth-stage emission standard was discontinued. That is, newly purchased motor vehicles sold or registered for the first time in Shanghai, or motor vehicles transferred from other regions to Shanghai for registration, had to comply with the "China V" emission standard. If they did not meet the standard, the municipal public security vehicle management department would not process the registration or transfer. III. Therefore, vehicles registered in Beijing or Shanghai in 2014 could be either China IV or China V, while in other regions, they were all China IV.
I bought a new car in 2014 when the National IV emission standard was basically implemented nationwide for new vehicles. The government started promoting National IV in 2010, but it wasn't until 2014 that it was fully enforced, requiring all gasoline cars to control carbon monoxide emissions to within 1 gram per kilometer, which was much stricter than the previous National III standard, with nitrogen oxides reduced by nearly half. It didn't have much impact on my daily driving, and the fuel consumption was about the same, but during annual inspections, the exhaust had to be carefully tested. If it failed, I had to pay to repair the catalytic converter or sensors. Looking back now, cars from that time could easily trigger the malfunction indicator light if not well maintained and exceeded emission standards. Now that National VI is widespread, National IV cars might face restrictions in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and their used car prices are also affected. So when buying a used car, check the registration certificate rather than just the year, and make sure the National IV label is genuine to avoid regrets.
