Recently, self media bloggers on multiple online platforms in China have released videos claiming that the 2024 vehicle inspection will be the "strictest in history", and related comments such as "adding OBD testing to the annual inspection of fuel vehicles, and making it impossible to pass the inspection if the radio is not functioning properly" and "vehicles over ten years old may be forced to be scrapped" have sparked a lot of discussion among netizens. So what is the real situation?
The reporter visited a motor vehicle inspection site located on the North Fifth Ring Road in Beijing and found that the site was well-organized and there was no tense atmosphere as claimed on the internet.
Reporter: Do you know what OBD is?
Car owner: I'm not quite sure, I haven't heard of it.
Reporter: Do you think the car inspection is particularly strict this year?
Car owner: I don't think there's much difference between this year and previous years.
At this motor vehicle inspection site, inspectors told reporters that the rumors on the internet are all rumors, and there have been no new regulations on vehicle inspections this year, and there is no claim that they are "stricter than before".
Vehicle OBD testing has been implemented since 2019
Regarding the online rumor that "OBD testing will be added to the annual inspection of fuel vehicles in 2024", the reporter found that vehicle OBD testing was already implemented as early as 2019.
Since July 2009, all newly produced and sold gasoline vehicles under 2.5 tons in China have been equipped with OBD systems. Since 2011, all newly produced and sold vehicles of other categories have also been fully equipped with OBD systems, which is a very mature technology. In 2018, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment revised two "pollutant emission limits and measurement methods" for in use motor vehicles, adding new requirements for OBD testing of in use motor vehicles. The regulations were implemented nationwide from November 2019, and were not added in 2024.
What are the testing requirements for OBD?
Liu Jia, Director of the Supervision Office of the Motor Vehicle Emission Monitoring Center of the Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences: OBD is a vehicle mounted monitoring system that is relatively effective in controlling exhaust emissions. It can remind car owners in real time that the relevant emission devices of the vehicle have malfunctioned and remind them to repair them as soon as possible.
At this motor vehicle inspection site in Beijing, the inspectors explained that if the OBD test is qualified, it indicates that the system is operating normally. Once it exceeds the standard, the OBD will light up the fault light to remind the car owner to repair and eliminate it as soon as possible.
According to the annual inspection requirements, the vehicle inspection items include three items: appearance inspection, OBD inspection, and emission testing. Only when all three items are qualified can the annual inspection be considered qualified. The appearance inspection mainly checks the basic condition of the vehicle, whether the pollutant control devices are normal, etc; OBD inspection is carried out through an OBD diagnostic instrument to check whether the vehicle has any relevant faults that affect emission control; Emission testing is the use of an exhaust analyzer to check the emission control capability under certain characteristic operating conditions. The three are inseparable, and other devices unrelated to emission control, such as radios, air conditioners, fans, etc., are not within the scope of annual inspection.
OBD only monitors components related to emissions, such as the radio, air conditioning, and tire pressure. These have nothing to do with emissions and will not trigger an OBD alarm. There is no need to worry about OBD inspection failure or elimination, as there is no such thing as this.
