LTO releases new license plate letters for EVs, hybrids

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is addressing the growing market for electrified vehicles with new classifications on license plates.

LTO recognizes electrified vehicles

Based on the memos unearthed by Autoindustriya.com, hybrid cars and electric vehicles (EVs) will be assigned with dedicated letters on their license plates.

The rightmost letter on EV plates could be V, W, X, Y, or Z, while the middle could be from A to M. Hybrids will also get the same letters on their rightmost letter but the difference is in the middle as it could be from N to Z.

Not only will this help classify electrified cars from purely combustion cars but also aid traffic enforcers. Under the EVIDA (Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act) Law, electrified vehicles such as EVs, full hybrids, and plug-in hybrids are exempted from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP), or number coding.

Kia EV6

The law also states the exemption only applies to electrified vehicles with one electric drive for propulsion. Mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEV) such as the Suzuki Ertiga Hybrid and Geely Okavango do not comply with this condition. But the LTO could identify MHEVs differently so the agency has yet to clarify the matter.

What we are sure about are the full hybrids including the Toyota Camry HEV, Haval H6 HEV, Chery Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV, and Nissan Kicks. Meanwhile, the growing EV market currently offers the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Nissan Leaf, among others.

Cars with an electrified powertrain are not the only ones to get love from the agency. Vintage vehicles will also have dedicated license plates following the signing of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Vintage Vehicle Regulation Act. This type of vehicle could use TX, TY, or TZ for its two letters on the right.

Chery Tiggo 8 Pro PHEV

Trailer private vehicles have their second leftmost letter in U, while government plates use “S” for the leftmost letter. Lastly, the leftmost letter on private plates will depend on the assigned region.

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