On this page (6)
513 Toyota Venzas were TLC-licensed on October 12, 2026: 505 for-hire vehicles (FHVs) and 8 yellow taxis. The Venza ranks 29th among TLC models and is one of only four models ranked 21st to 40th that include any yellow taxis.
The Venza fleet is really two separate groups: 96 older cars from model years 2009–2015, then a five-year gap with no Venzas at all, then 417 newer cars from 2021–2024. The powertrain counts line up with those groups exactly: 96 decode as gas and 417 as hybrid. That makes the Venza 81.3% hybrid, one of the highest shares among SUVs on TLC plates.
How this was counted
TLC's lists of active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis do not include models. We decoded each VIN with NHTSA's vPIC and counted Venzas. Powertrain is vPIC's classification. One-day snapshot.
Model years: two groups, no middle
The biggest year is 2021 with 158 cars. 2022 has 93 (4 of them taxis), 2023 has 85 (4 taxis) and 2024 has 81. There are no 2025 or 2026 Venzas on the lists. On the older side, 2015 has 44 and 2013 has 25. Those 96 older Venzas are 18.7% of the model, almost twice the share of 2016-or-older cars in the whole FHV fleet (about 10%). For the age limits, see TLC vehicle retirement age.
Hybrid vs gas
For the 2021 model year, fueleconomy.gov lists one Venza: an AWD hybrid with a 2.5-liter engine, rated 39 mpg combined (40 city, 37 highway). The higher city number is typical of hybrids and suits stop-and-go NYC driving. Compare costs in the lease-vs-buy tool and read EV vs hybrid for Uber in NYC.
Base types and taxis
492 Venzas (95.9%) are at black car bases, 13 at livery bases and 8 are yellow taxis. None are marked "WAV". TLC's list marks 7 as "PILOT", a label the dataset does not define, so we don't treat them as accessible.
Why there won't be new Venza taxis
The 8 Venza taxis are 2022 and 2023 models. TLC's hack-up page says that as of October 18, 2024 you must hack up an accessible vehicle, even if your medallion is not an accessible medallion. The Venza is not on TLC's approved accessible list, so when one of these taxis is replaced, the replacement must be an approved accessible vehicle such as a converted Toyota Sienna. Two more points from the same TLC page matter if you own a Venza taxi and plan ahead:
- Hybrid replacements need the right medallion. TLC says an Alt-Fuel Restricted medallion is required to hack up an accessible hybrid vehicle. If you want to stay hybrid after the Venza, check your medallion type first.
- Used accessible vehicles are allowed if the make, model, year and converter are approved for yellow taxi use. Vehicles with more than 500 miles get a DMV inspection at Woodside as well as the TLC hack-up inspection.
See can my taxi be a non-accessible car and yellow taxi fleet by model.
For FHV owners, the Venza works like any non-accessible car: you need an existing FHV license and a vehicle transfer, filed within 15 days of DMV registration (rule 59A-09(a), chapter 59). Then pass TLC vehicle inspection.
More SUVs: Toyota RAV4, Toyota Highlander, Lexus RX, Acura MDX, Lincoln Navigator L, 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.
- Toyota Venza: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Toyota Venza, 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 Venza in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Toyota Venza 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 Venza: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Toyota Venza 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, 7 PILOT. App-based (high-volume) work generally runs through black car bases.
Frequently asked questions
How many Toyota Venzas are licensed by the TLC?
513 on October 12, 2026: 505 for-hire vehicles and 8 yellow taxis, or 0.45% of all TLC vehicles. TLC Help counted them by decoding each VIN with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
Are TLC Venzas hybrids?
Most are. 417 decode as hybrid and 96 as gas. Those numbers match the model years exactly: there are 417 Venzas from 2021–2024 and 96 from 2009–2015, and none from 2016–2020.
Can I hack up a Venza as a new yellow taxi?
No. Since October 18, 2024, TLC requires every taxi hack-up to be an accessible vehicle, and the Venza is not on TLC's approved accessible list. The 8 Venza taxis on the list are model-years 2022 and 2023.
What does 'PILOT' mean next to 7 Venzas?
TLC's FHV list puts 'PILOT' in its wheelchair_accessible column for 7 Venzas but the dataset does not define the label, so TLC Help does not count them as accessible.
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: Yellow Cab Hack-Up nyc.gov
- TLC: Approved accessible vehicles (revised Oct 2, 2026) nyc.gov
- TLC Rule Book Chapter 59 (For-Hire Vehicles), updated Feb 27, 2026 nyc.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2021 Toyota Venza AWD (hybrid) 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.