GoI doubles renewal fees for vehicles over 20 years, up to ₹80k for imported cars

New Delhi: The government of India has doubled the renewal fee for vehicles older than 20 years across India, with the exception of the National Capital Region (NCR).

The revision, carried out through amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, was first proposed in a draft notification issued in February. A gazette notification issued on Wednesday confirmed the new fee structure.

Renewal charges will now be Rs 2,000 for motorcycles, Rs 5,000 for three-wheelers, and Rs10,000 for light motor vehicles that are over 15 years old. For imported vehicles older than 20 years, the fee has been fixed at Rs 20,000 for two and three-wheelers, and Rs 80,000 for four-wheelers. These rates are exclusive of GST.

Officials said the move is aimed at nudging owners of ageing vehicles to switch to newer, less-polluting alternatives.

In Delhi-NCR, however, the Supreme Court had in 2018 upheld a National Green Tribunal (NGT) directive banning “end-of-life” vehicles—petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years. The matter is currently under reconsideration in the apex court, which in an interim order directed authorities not to take coercive action against owners.

Aadhaar linking on Vahan, Sarathi portals

Since August, many vehicle owners and driving licence holders have been receiving SMS alerts asking them to verify and update their mobile numbers through Aadhaar authentication on the Vahan and Sarathi databases. The move has raised concerns about legality and possible surveillance.

An office memorandum dated July 4 from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) stated that a large number of users have not updated their mobile numbers, leading to service-related alerts and statutory notices not reaching the intended recipients. To address this, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been tasked with capturing and updating communication details to ensure timely dissemination of information.

Meanwhile, the Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC), a non-profit advocating for digital rights, has written to MoRTH urging it to provide alternatives to Aadhaar authentication and avoid making it mandatory for transport-related services. SFLC pointed out that, as per the Supreme Court’s judgment in KS Puttaswamy vs Union of India (2018), Aadhaar authentication for services such as driving licences is strictly voluntary.