654 Chevrolet Equinoxes were TLC-licensed on October 12, 2026, all as for-hire vehicles (FHVs). It ranks 25th among TLC models, just behind the Chevrolet Traverse.
The Equinox fleet is packed into two model years: 2022 and 2023 make up 75% of it. And it is one of the few gas-and-electric families on TLC plates: 31 Equinoxes decode as battery electric, while none decode as hybrid. Among compact SUVs that is unusual, because the RAV4, CR-V and Escape are mostly or largely hybrid.
About the data
We decoded each VIN on TLC's active FHV list and medallion vehicle list with NHTSA's vPIC, because the lists themselves have no model field. vPIC reports the family name "Equinox", so the gas Equinox and the Equinox EV are counted together and split only by the powertrain fields. Snapshot of one day.
Model years: a two-year block
236 Equinoxes are 2022 models and 256 are 2023. Before that, no year has more than 23; after it, 2024 has 20, 2025 has 26 and 2026 has 14. So only 9.2% are 2024 or newer, compared with about 31% of all FHVs. A fleet this bunched together will reach age limits close together too. Check the dates for your car in TLC vehicle retirement age.
Gas or electric
For the gas Equinox, fueleconomy.gov rates the 2023 FWD 1.5-liter turbo at 28 mpg combined (26 city, 31 highway); the AWD is rated 26.
If you drive one of the 31 electric Equinoxes, your license type matters more than the car:
- EV-only licenses stay electric. Rule 59A-06(a)(3) and (a)(4) in chapter 59 describe EV licenses as restricted to fully battery electric vehicles. You can't swap that license onto a gas Equinox.
- No new EV licenses right now. TLC's February 2026 license review says the only new FHV licenses available are WAV-restricted, and that TLC issued no new EV-only licenses in the year reviewed.
- Switching to electric. Moving a regular license from a gas car to an EV is a normal vehicle transfer. See can I switch my TLC car to an EV and EV FHV license rules, plus charging for TLC drivers.
Why the app companies care about the electric ones
Rule 59D-13(c) requires each high-volume service (Uber and Lyft) to send a rising share of its trips to zero-emission or wheelchair accessible vehicles: 25% in 2026, 40% in 2027 and 100% by 2030. The duty, and the fine of $50 per 1,000 trips short, falls on the company, not on you. TLC's February 2026 review says the high-volume sector was "consistently dispatching more than 20%" of trips to EVs and WAVs. A battery-electric Equinox counts toward that share; a gas Equinox does not. What the companies do with that, such as offers to EV drivers, is their own choice and can change. Read Green Rides explained.
Base types
650 are at black car bases and 4 at livery bases. None are at luxury limousine bases, none are taxis and none are marked wheelchair accessible.
The gas Equinox competes with SUVs that are often bought as hybrids. If fuel cost is your main worry, compare with the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V or Ford Escape using the EV savings tool. Also see the Chevrolet Traverse, Nissan Rogue, Infiniti QX60, Lincoln Aviator and TLC fleet by make and model.
Data on this page
Aggregates of public data. They describe trips and vehicles, never individual people.
TLC's vehicle lists have no make/model column, so TLC Help decoded the VIN of every licensed vehicle with NHTSA's vPIC decoder (one representative VIN per manufacturer + model-descriptor + model-year pattern) and published only counts. 5 of 115,081 vehicles (0%) could not be decoded to a model and are left out. vPIC sometimes reports trim-family names (e.g. 'RX' not 'RX 350h'); powertrain comes from vPIC's electrification/fuel fields and may misclassify a few model years. Snapshot lists change daily.
- Chevrolet Equinox: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Chevrolet Equinox, by model year.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Model year from TLC's vehicle_year / model_year columns. Age limits for TLC vehicles come from TLC rules, not this chart.
- Chevrolet Equinox in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Chevrolet Equinox vehicles by powertrain (from decoded VINs).NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026
- Chevrolet Equinox: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Chevrolet Equinox vehicles by fleet: FHVs by the type of base they are affiliated with, and medallion taxis.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Wheelchair-accessible (FHV list): 0 WAV, 0 PILOT. App-based (high-volume) work generally runs through black car bases.
Frequently asked questions
How many Chevrolet Equinoxes are licensed by the TLC?
654 on October 12, 2026, all for-hire vehicles and 0.57% of all TLC vehicles. TLC Help counted them by decoding each VIN with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
Are there electric Equinoxes on TLC plates?
Yes. 31 decode as battery electric and 623 as gas. vPIC reports the model family 'Equinox', so the electric ones are counted on this page too.
Can I put my EV-only FHV license on a gas Equinox?
No. TLC rule 59A-06(a)(3) and (a)(4) describe EV licenses as restricted to fully battery electric vehicles. If your license is EV-only, a replacement car must also be fully electric.
Can I get a new TLC license for an Equinox EV?
Not now. TLC's February 2026 license review says the only new FHV licenses available are those restricted to wheelchair accessible vehicles, and no new EV-only licenses were issued in the year it covered.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- NYC Open Data: For Hire Vehicles (FHV) – Active (8wbx-tsch) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NYC Open Data: Medallion Vehicles – Authorized (rhe8-mgbb) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder API vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov
- TLC Rule Book Chapter 59 (For-Hire Vehicles), updated Feb 27, 2026 nyc.gov
- TLC: February 2026 For-Hire Vehicle License Review nyc.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2023 Chevrolet Equinox FWD fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2023 Chevrolet Equinox AWD fueleconomy.gov
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.
TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.