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773 Lincoln Aviators were licensed by the TLC on October 12, 2026, all as for-hire vehicles (FHVs). That is the largest Lincoln group in the fleet: about 37% of the 2,078 TLC Lincolns among the top 60 models (Aviator, Navigator L, Nautilus, Corsair and MKT).
The Aviator fleet is new. Nothing older than model-year 2020 is on plates, and 55.8% are 2024 or newer. It also does more luxury-base work than most SUVs: 62 cars, or 8.0%, against 1.3% of all FHVs.
How the Aviators were counted
TLC publishes its FHV list and taxi vehicle list without makes or models. We decoded each VIN with NHTSA's vPIC and counted vehicles that decode as "Aviator". This is a one-day snapshot.
Two big model years: 2023 and 2025
Model-year 2023 leads with 227 cars and 2025 follows with 206. In between, 2024 has 121. 2026 already has 104. Only 23 are model-years 2020 and 2021 combined. For when an older Aviator must leave service, read TLC vehicle retirement age; this chart only shows what is licensed today.
Gas, plus a few plug-ins
762 Aviators decode as gas and 11 as plug-in hybrids (PHEV). For the 2023 model year, fueleconomy.gov rates the gas Aviator RWD at 21 mpg combined (18 city, 26 highway). The PHEV AWD is rated 23 mpg on gas alone, 56 MPGe when charged, with 21 miles of electric range.
A plug-in does not change your license type or make the car "zero-emission" under TLC rules. Uber and Lyft must send a growing share of trips to zero-emission or accessible vehicles under rule 59D-13(c) — 25% in 2026 (chapter 59). TLC's definitions chapter says a zero-emission vehicle has no direct exhaust or tailpipe emissions, which a plug-in hybrid has. See Green Rides explained.
Base types
702 (90.8%) are at black car bases, 62 at luxury limousine bases and 9 at livery bases. Luxury limousines with fewer than 8 passenger seats have their own, higher insurance minimum under rule 59A-12(c)(3); see FHV insurance requirements before you move a car to that kind of base.
Plates and inspection
No Lincoln is on TLC's approved wheelchair accessible list, and new FHV licenses are only for approved accessible vehicles. So an Aviator gets on the road by taking over an existing FHV license through a vehicle transfer (rule 59A-09(a): apply within 15 days of DMV registration, then pass TLC inspection). Steps and fees: TLC plates for FHVs and TLC vehicle inspection.
Because so many Aviators are recent model years, you may be offered a nearly new one "with plates" by another owner. Be careful: TLC's vehicle license FAQ says an FHV license is not transferable. It stays attached to the SSN or EIN on the original application. Buying the car does not give you the seller's license; you need your own FHV license to move onto it.
What a luxury limousine base means
Chapter 59 defines a luxury limousine base as one that dispatches only by pre-arrangement, gets more than 90% of its business from payment other than cash from the passenger, and charges "garage to garage" by flat rate, time or mileage. That is different work from app trips at a black car base, with different insurance minimums. If you plan to switch base types, read FHV base affiliation first.
Related pages: Infiniti QX60, Cadillac XT6, GMC Yukon XL, Chevrolet Traverse, Lincoln Nautilus and the full TLC fleet by make and model.
Run the numbers in the lease-vs-buy tool, or browse 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.
- Lincoln Aviator: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Lincoln Aviator, 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.
- Lincoln Aviator in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Lincoln Aviator 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
- Lincoln Aviator: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Lincoln Aviator 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 Lincoln Aviators are licensed by the TLC?
773 on October 12, 2026, all for-hire vehicles and 0.67% of all TLC vehicles. It is the most common Lincoln in the TLC fleet. TLC Help counted them by decoding each VIN with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
Are there plug-in hybrid Aviators on TLC plates?
Yes, 11 decode as plug-in hybrids. The other 762 decode as gas.
Does a plug-in hybrid Aviator count toward Uber's and Lyft's Green Rides goal?
The Green Rides rule counts trips by zero-emission or accessible vehicles. TLC defines a zero-emission vehicle as one with no direct exhaust or tailpipe emissions, and a plug-in hybrid still has a gas engine.
How old are TLC Aviators?
Young. The oldest model year on plates is 2020, and 55.8% are 2024 or newer, against about 31% of all FHVs.
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 Rule Book Chapter 51 (Definitions) nyc.gov
- TLC: Vehicle License Frequently Asked Questions nyc.gov
- TLC: Approved accessible vehicles (revised Oct 2, 2026) nyc.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2023 Lincoln Aviator PHEV AWD fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2023 Lincoln Aviator RWD 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.