Why Do Some Teslas Have Blue License Plates?
2 Answers
Some Teslas have blue license plates because they were registered early and were not in the first batch of pilot cities for new energy vehicle license plates. Below is a detailed introduction to vehicle license plates: Common classifications of vehicle license plates: They are typically divided into small vehicle license plates (blue background with white characters and white borders), new energy vehicle license plates (green background with black characters and black borders, gradient green), large vehicle license plates (yellow background with black characters and black borders), and Hong Kong-Macau entry-exit vehicle license plates (black background with white characters, white "HK" or "MO" characters, and white borders), among others. Composition of vehicle license plate numbers: The license plate starts with the abbreviation of the province and the code of the prefecture-level city, followed by five digits combining numbers and letters. Currently, the country implements a new license plate policy, allowing self-selection of license plates. However, the first two characters must be letters, which can be chosen at will, and the last three are numbers, which can also be freely selected.
I've noticed many friends are curious about why some Teslas have blue license plates instead of green ones. After years of following automotive policies, I found the main reason is that China officially implemented the new energy vehicle (NEV) license plate policy in 2016, which mandates electric vehicles to use green plates to promote eco-friendly cars. However, Teslas registered before that, such as early models imported between 2012 and 2015, were issued standard blue plates for private cars as green plates weren’t compulsory yet. Many owners simply didn’t bother to visit the DMV to switch plates, or found the process too cumbersome to justify the effort. Additionally, if you see a Tesla with a blue plate, it might be a used car sold by the previous owner without converting to a green plate. Nowadays, newly purchased Teslas mostly come with green plates, but don’t be surprised if you spot an older model still sporting blue plates—it’s just a transitional legacy issue that doesn’t affect daily driving. Policy changes always have a grace period, and understanding this helps avoid misunderstandings.
