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462 Toyota Avalons held TLC licenses on October 12, 2026: 461 for-hire vehicles (FHVs) and 1 yellow taxi. It ranks 30th among TLC models.
The Avalon is the oldest fleet among the models ranked 21st to 40th. Its median model year is 2015, two-thirds of the cars are 2016 or older, and nothing newer than model-year 2022 is on the lists. It also leans toward local car services: 7.4% are at livery bases, more than three times the share for all FHVs.
Counting method
There is no model column in TLC's FHV or medallion vehicle lists. We decoded each VIN with NHTSA's vPIC and counted Avalons; powertrain is vPIC's label. The lists change daily.
Model years: centered on 2014–2016
2015 is the peak with 108 cars, and 2014 (80) and 2016 (72) are next. From 2017 on, no year has more than 46, and 2020, 2021 and 2022 have about 20 each. The single Avalon taxi is a 2022 model.
Among all 60 of the most common TLC models, only the Toyota Prius V (median 2014) has an older typical car than the Avalon. Even the Nissan NV200 van, which still has 643 yellow taxis and whose newest TLC units are 2019 models, has a median of 2016.
With a fleet this old, the most important question for an Avalon driver is how long the car can stay licensed. Read TLC vehicle retirement age and check your date before you spend money on major repairs.
Hybrid or V6: a big fuel difference
For the 2015 model year, the most common one, fueleconomy.gov rates the Avalon Hybrid at 40 mpg combined (40 city, 39 highway). The 3.5-liter V6 Avalon is rated 24 mpg combined (21 city, 30 highway). In city driving that is close to half the fuel for the hybrid. Of the TLC Avalons, 251 decode as hybrid and 211 as gas. Use the lease-vs-buy tool to compare your fuel spending with a newer car.
Base types
427 (92.4%) are at black car bases, 34 (7.4%) at livery bases and 1 is a yellow taxi. None are marked wheelchair accessible; 4 carry TLC's "PILOT" label, which the dataset does not explain. The Avalon is not on TLC's approved accessible list, so under the hack-up rules in force since October 18, 2024, it cannot be hacked up as a new taxi.
Keeping an older Avalon on the road
Rules from chapter 59 that matter most when a car has high miles:
- Where to inspect. FHVs need three inspections a year, at least every four months. Inspections for a new or renewal license happen at TLC's facility; the others can be done at any DMV-registered facility (59A-26(a)(1)). See TLC vehicle inspection.
- Fix defects when told. You must follow TLC notices to correct defects. Ignoring one brings a $50 fine and suspension until the problem is fixed (59A-27(d)).
- Belts. All seat and shoulder belts must be visible and working, including shoulder belts for both outside rear seats (59A-27(b) and (c)). Worn or tucked-away belts are a common thing to check on older cars.
- When it's time to replace. Move your FHV license to the new car with a vehicle transfer within 15 days of registering it (59A-09(a)). See TLC plates for FHVs.
Compare the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Lexus ES and Nissan Altima, or browse 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.
- Toyota Avalon: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Toyota Avalon, 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.
- Toyota Avalon in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Toyota Avalon 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
- Toyota Avalon: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Toyota Avalon 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, 4 PILOT. App-based (high-volume) work generally runs through black car bases.
Frequently asked questions
How many Toyota Avalons are licensed by the TLC?
462 on October 12, 2026: 461 for-hire vehicles and 1 yellow taxi, or 0.40% of all TLC vehicles. TLC Help counted them by decoding each VIN with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
How old are TLC Avalons?
The median model year is 2015. 305 of 462 (66%) are 2016 or older, against about 10% of all FHVs, and the newest on the lists are 2022 models.
Are most TLC Avalons hybrids?
Just over half: 251 decode as hybrid (54.3%) and 211 as gas.
Where can I do the regular TLC inspections on an old Avalon?
Rule 59A-26(a)(1) says inspections for new and renewal licenses are done at TLC's facility, and the other required inspections (three a year) can be done at any DMV-registered facility.
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: Yellow Cab Hack-Up nyc.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2015 Toyota Avalon 3.5 L 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.