Renewing Old Vehicle Registrations Now Costs More: Govt Revises Fee Structure Nationwide
Renewing Old Vehicle Registrations Now Costs More: Govt Revises Fee Structure Nationwide
If you’re still holding onto your decades-old vehicle, get ready to pay significantly more to keep it on the road. The central government has rolled out a new set of rules increasing the cost of registration renewal for vehicles older than 20 years. This move is part of a broader push to curb pollution and promote the use of newer, cleaner vehicles.
Under the new guidelines, the registration renewal fee for motorcycles that have crossed the 20-year mark has been revised to ₹2,000, while car owners will now need to shell out ₹10,000 for the same. Similarly, other vehicle categories have seen substantial hikes: three-wheelers and quadricycles now cost ₹5,000, imported two- and three-wheelers ₹20,000, and imported four-wheelers a steep ₹80,000. For all other vehicle types, the revised fee stands at ₹12,000. Notably, these amounts are exclusive of GST.
The government has clarified that this revised structure is being enforced across the country—except in the Delhi-NCR region. Owing to its chronic air quality issues, Delhi and its surrounding areas continue to uphold stricter rules, including a ban on petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel ones over 10 years. Hence, residents in the NCR will not benefit from the extended registration allowance.
Interestingly, the maximum permissible age for vehicles has now been formally extended from 15 to 20 years nationwide (excluding NCR). While this might sound like good news for long-time vehicle owners, the accompanying fee hike turns this into what many are calling a “costly reprieve.” Owners looking to retain their vehicles legally will now need to dig deeper into their pockets.
The revision in charges isn’t limited to private vehicles. Commercial vehicles too have come under the lens. Initially, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had suggested a significant increase in renewal fees for medium and heavy commercial vehicles over 15 years old—proposing ₹12,000 and ₹18,000 respectively. However, after receiving pushback from several transport organizations, especially the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), the final notification placed these vehicles under a broader category with a flat fee of ₹12,000.
Furthermore, the ministry had floated a proposal to double the fee for commercial vehicles older than 20 years, to ₹24,000 for medium vehicles and ₹36,000 for heavy ones. But for now, this proposal has been kept on hold. Officials have indicated that a final decision will be made later, considering these vehicles are major contributors to air pollution.
Adding another layer to the update, the ministry is expected to unveil a new fee structure for vehicle fitness tests soon. With automated fitness testing stations being set up across the country, the government is moving towards more rigorous vehicle assessments. This development follows opposition from transport unions to what they described as an abrupt and excessive hike in fitness test charges.
The timing of the announcement is also noteworthy—it comes just a week after the Supreme Court issued a temporary stay against any punitive action on older petrol and diesel vehicles in the NCR. However, the long-term applicability of this reprieve will depend on the court’s final ruling.
