燃油车 (rányóuchē): fuel-powered car

Vocabulary that emerged as China's EV market exploded in the 2020s — before that, 'car' alone meant fuel car. Now Chinese auto media routinely contrasts 燃油车 vs 电车 (diànchē, EV) vs 混动 (hùndòng, hybrid) vs 增程 (zēngchéng, range-extender EV). Major Chinese cities now restrict 燃油车 license plates while EVs get green plates with no quota.

usage

Casual synonym: 油车 (yóuchē, 'oil car'). 燃油 = 'burning fuel' is the formal term, 油车 is conversational. Compare 汽油车 (qìyóuchē, 'gasoline car' — narrower, excludes diesel).