There are 16 categories of vehicle in Hong Kong. Out of the about 672,000 registered vehicles up to April 2011, about 456,000 are private cars. The remainder includes light goods vehicles, medium goods vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, motor-cycles, light buses, buses, etc. no vehicle is allowed to be driven or used on a road unless it is registered and licensed.

Registration of a vehicle involves allocation of a registration mark, issue of vehicle registration document and putting it into the appropriate class of vehicles. On the first registration of a motor vehicle, a first registration tax is charged. On the other hand, licence should be displayed on the left-hand side of the vehicle's windscreen or in a conspicuous position in the case of a vehicle without a fixed windscreen.