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904 Honda Pilots held TLC licenses on October 12, 2026, all as for-hire vehicles (FHVs). It is the 19th most common TLC model and the third most common Honda, after the CR-V and Accord.
In the data, the Pilot is a plain gas SUV for app work: every one decodes as gas, 98.3% are at black car bases, and none are taxis. What is unusual is the timing. New Pilots arrive in uneven waves rather than a steady stream.
How we counted
TLC's FHV list and medallion vehicle list leave out make and model. To count Pilots we decoded every VIN with the federal vPIC decoder run by NHTSA. The counts are for one day; vehicles join and leave the list daily.
Model years: waves, not a trend
The Pilot counts go up and down: 123 for 2021, 146 for 2022, 72 for 2023, just 38 for 2024, then 143 for 2025 and 28 so far for 2026. Older Pilots are spread thinly back to 2009. 13.3% of FHV Pilots are model-year 2016 or older, a bit more than the roughly 10% for all FHVs.
The data shows only how many cars of each year are licensed now. It cannot tell you whether the dips reflect prices, supply or something else, so don't read it as a verdict on any one model year. For TLC's age rules, see TLC vehicle retirement age.
Gas only
All 904 Pilots decode as gas. Among similar SUVs, the Toyota Highlander is 25.8% hybrid and the Honda CR-V 40.6%. If fuel costs worry you, compare the options with your own numbers in the lease-vs-buy tool, or read EV vs hybrid for Uber in NYC.
Base types
889 Pilots are at black car bases, where app trips are dispatched, and 15 at livery bases. None are at luxury limousine bases, none are yellow taxis, and none are wheelchair accessible.
Using a TLC Pilot as the family car
A larger SUV like the Pilot often does double duty. TLC's vehicle license FAQ says anyone with a valid state driver license may drive a TLC-licensed vehicle for personal use. It also warns that a TLC inspector or police officer can stop and summons the car if they believe it is being used for hire, or if they see a violation. So a family member may drive it to the store, but must not pick up paying riders without a TLC driver license.
Want a Honda and new plates? Only an accessible Odyssey qualifies
New FHV licenses are issued only to owners of approved wheelchair accessible vehicles (TLC: Get a For-Hire Vehicle License). The Pilot is not on TLC's approved list. The only Honda on it is the Honda Odyssey Accessible, Rear Entry, model years 2019–2027, with the "NYC FHV TAXI" conversion by AMT. A license issued for a WAV stays WAV-only. See the Honda Odyssey page and get a new FHV license with a WAV.
If you already hold an FHV license, you can move it to a Pilot with a vehicle transfer, filed within 15 days of DMV registration, after which TLC inspects the car (rule 59A-09(a), chapter 59). Details: TLC plates for FHVs, TLC vehicle inspection and FHV insurance requirements.
See the Chevrolet Traverse (the only SUV with an accessible version on TLC's list), Ford Escape, GMC Yukon XL, Lincoln Aviator, and every model in TLC fleet by make and model.
More in the vehicles topic.
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.
- Honda Pilot: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Honda Pilot, 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.
- Honda Pilot in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Honda Pilot 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
- Honda Pilot: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Honda Pilot 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 Honda Pilots are licensed by the TLC?
904 in the October 12, 2026 snapshot, all for-hire vehicles, or 0.79% of all TLC vehicles. TLC Help counted them by decoding VINs with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
Are there hybrid Honda Pilots in the TLC fleet?
No. All 904 decode as gas. Across all FHVs, about 30% decode as hybrid and 13% as battery electric.
Can I get new TLC plates for a Honda Pilot?
No. New FHV vehicle licenses are only for approved wheelchair accessible vehicles, and the Pilot is not on TLC's approved list. The only Honda on that list is the Honda Odyssey Accessible, Rear Entry (model years 2019–2027, AMT conversion).
Which model years of Pilot are most common on TLC plates?
2022 (146 cars), 2025 (143) and 2021 (123). Model-year 2024 has only 38 and 2026 only 28 so far.
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: Approved accessible vehicles (revised Oct 2, 2026) nyc.gov
- TLC: Vehicle License Frequently Asked Questions nyc.gov
- TLC Rule Book Chapter 59 (For-Hire Vehicles), updated Feb 27, 2026 nyc.gov
- TLC: Get a For-Hire Vehicle License nyc.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.