15-Year RC Renewal Fees 2026: Bike and Car

Dhanteras is Friday 6 November and Diwali is Sunday 8 November 2026. In the days before them the used market fills with the cheapest vehicles it carries: commuter bikes and small hatchbacks registered in 2010 and 2011, priced to go before the festival. Every one of them sits on the same line in the Motor Vehicles Act. A private vehicle's registration runs for 15 years from the date of first registration, and after that it must be renewed, with a fitness test, a fee that went up sharply in 2022, a late fee that accrues by the month, and in several states a green tax on top. A seller who has done the renewal has spent real money and will want it back. A seller who has not done it is handing you the bill. This article gives you the figures so you know which of the two you are talking to.

The Central Fee Schedule: Rule 81 as Amended in 2021

The fee for renewing a certificate of registration is fixed centrally in the table under rule 81 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways rewrote that table through notification G.S.R. 714(E) of 4 October 2021, the Central Motor Vehicles (Twenty Third Amendment) Rules 2021, which came into force on 1 April 2022. The gazette copy is on the Press Information Bureau's site and the figures below are taken from it, not from a blog.

Three things about that table matter to a buyer. The two-wheeler renewal fee went up more than three times, from Rs. 300 to Rs. 1,000. The car fee went up more than eight times, from Rs. 600 to Rs. 5,000. And the late fee is not a one-off penalty but a meter: Rs. 300 a month on a bike and Rs. 500 a month on a car, counted from the expiry date on the RC to the date the renewal application is filed. A car whose registration lapsed in January 2026 and is still unrenewed in November carries roughly Rs. 5,000 of late fee on top of the Rs. 5,000 renewal fee before anyone looks at the fitness test. The renewal fee is the same in Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka and Maharashtra because it is a central fee; what differs between states is everything stacked on top of it, which we come to below.

The renewed registration does not run for another 15 years. Section 41(10) of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 lets the registering authority renew for the period the Central Government prescribes, and in practice RTOs renew a private vehicle's registration in five-year blocks, so the fee and the fitness test come round again at 20 years, and again at 25. Our earlier piece on the 15-to-20-year cost wall for cars works through what those repeat renewals do to the keep-or-sell decision for an owner; this article stays on the buyer's side of the table.

The Fitness Test Comes Before the Renewal

Renewal under section 41 is subject to section 56 of the Act: the vehicle has to be found fit. For a private bike or car that has never been near a testing lane in 15 years, this is the part of the process that can fail. The 2021 notification also inserted a fee line for "conducting test of a vehicle for grant and renewal of certificate of fitness for motor vehicles older than 15 years": Rs. 400 at a manual test or Rs. 500 at an automated testing station for a motorcycle, and Rs. 800 manual or Rs. 1,000 automated for a three-wheeler, quadricycle or light motor vehicle. Where a state has notified automated testing stations, the automated figure applies and the test is done by machine against lane sensors for brakes, emissions, headlamp alignment and suspension, with much less room for a friendly inspector.

The test is where the buyer's real exposure sits. A 15-year-old bike with worn brake shoes, a smoky exhaust and a headlamp that was realigned by a pothole will fail. A failed test means repairs and a repeat fee, and the registration clock keeps running while the repairs are done. If the seller has already passed the test and renewed, the VAHAN record will show a fresh registration valid till date and a fitness valid till date; if neither has moved, assume the test is yours to pay for and yours to risk.

Green Tax by State: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Gujarat

Green tax is not in rule 81. It is a state levy under each state's motor vehicles taxation law, collected at the time of renewal once a private vehicle has completed 15 years, and it is where the "RC renewal fees in Gujarat" or "in Punjab" searches get their different answers. Four states that account for a large share of our readers:

Maharashtra: doubled from 6 April 2026

Maharashtra announced in its March 2026 budget that green tax on vehicles older than 15 years would double for BS-IV and older vehicles, and The Hitavada reported on 11 April 2026 that the new amounts took effect on 6 April 2026. Per five-year renewal: a two-wheeler pays Rs. 2,000 if BS-VI and Rs. 4,000 if BS-IV or older; a petrol car Rs. 3,000 or Rs. 6,000; a diesel car Rs. 3,500 or Rs. 7,000. Every 2010 and 2011 vehicle on sale this week is BS-III, so the higher figure is the one that applies in Mumbai, Pune or Nagpur.

Karnataka: Rs. 250 and Rs. 500

Karnataka's green tax under its Motor Vehicles Taxation Act has been Rs. 250 for a two-wheeler and Rs. 500 for other private vehicles at renewal after 15 years, a rate collected since 2002. A 2022 increase to Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 4,500 was rolled back the same year, as Deccan Herald reported at the time. For a Bengaluru buyer the green tax is a rounding item next to the central renewal fee.

Punjab: approved in 2024, figures as reported

The Punjab Cabinet approved a green tax on vehicles over 15 years in August 2024 as part of the state's scrappage policy. PTC News reported Rs. 500 for a two-wheeler and Rs. 4,000 for a petrol or diesel car up to 1,500 cc, with Rs. 6,000 for a larger diesel; DTNext reported Rs. 3,000 for a petrol car up to 1,500 cc and Rs. 4,000 for diesel. The two reports do not agree on the small petrol car, so for Ludhiana, Jalandhar or Amritsar take the range as Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 4,000 and confirm the figure the RTO's system generates when you apply.

Gujarat: levied, amount generated on the system

Gujarat levies green tax at renewal on private vehicles that have completed 15 years, but we could not find a published flat amount from the state transport department that two independent sources agree on; the figure is generated on the VAHAN system against the specific vehicle when the application is made. If you are buying in Ahmedabad, Surat or Vadodara, ask the seller for the tax receipt from the renewal, or ask the RTO before you agree a price. Our state-wise green tax tip lists further states.

On road tax, most states collected lifetime tax at first registration for 15 years and either collect nothing further at renewal or a small further sum; the position is set by each state's taxation schedule rather than by the Act, so it belongs on the same "ask the RTO" list as the green tax. The green tax and any road tax are paid through the VAHAN system before the renewal is granted, and a pending tax demand will stop the renewal just as pending challans will.

Worked Example: 2011 Commuter Bike vs 2011 Hatchback

Take two vehicles first registered in November 2011, both due for renewal this month, both with the registration still valid so no late fee has started. The table adds only the fees sourced above: the central renewal fee, the smart-card charge, the 2021 fitness test fee at an automated station, and the state green tax. It leaves out repairs to pass the test, PUC and insurance, and any state road tax.

Read the bottom two rows twice. A 2011 hatchback in Mumbai whose seller let the registration lapse in May, tested at a station already charging the reported 15-to-20-year fitness band, is looking at Rs. 5,000 renewal, Rs. 200 card, Rs. 5,000 test, Rs. 6,000 green tax and Rs. 3,000 late fee: Rs. 19,200 before a single brake pad, and that is if it passes first time. On a car being offered for a few Lakh that is a bargaining point. On one being offered for the price of a good phone, it is most of the price. A 2011 bike in Bengaluru, by contrast, costs Rs. 1,950 to put right if its paperwork is current, which is why 15-year renewals get done on bikes in Karnataka and get skipped on cars in Maharashtra.

How the Renewal Is Done, and What Blocks It

The process is the same for a bike and a car. Rule 52 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules says the application for renewal of a non-transport vehicle's registration is made in Form 25 to the registering authority, not more than 60 days before the date of expiry, with the fee. In practice the steps run like this:

1. Clear the dues first. Pending challans, pending tax and an active hypothecation without a closure letter will stop the application on the VAHAN system. The Rs. 149 Full Report shows the RC fields and the pending challans together, which is the quickest way for a buyer to see what the seller would have to clear.
2. Have PUC and insurance current. Both are checked at the fitness stage. A lapsed PUC on an old vehicle is common and our piece on how an expired PUC can void an insurance claim explains why it matters beyond the renewal.
3. Book the fitness test. At an automated testing station where the state has notified one, otherwise at the RTO's inspection ground. Pay the test fee from the table above. If the vehicle fails, repair and retest.
4. File Form 25 within the 60-day window, with the fitness certificate, the RC, PUC, insurance, the owner's identity and address proof, and the fee. Pay the renewal fee, the smart-card charge and the state green tax through the system.
5. Collect the renewed RC. The VAHAN record then shows a new registration valid till date, five years on. Until that happens, the old expiry date stands and the late-fee meter is running.

What happens if the registration has simply expired

A vehicle with an expired registration is, in law, an unregistered vehicle. Section 39 of the Motor Vehicles Act bars driving it in a public place and section 192 makes doing so an offence, with a fine that may extend to Rs. 5,000 for a first offence and Rs. 10,000, or imprisonment, for a subsequent one after the 2019 amendment. The insurance consequence is the more expensive one. In United India Insurance v. Sushil Kumar Godara (2021) the Supreme Court held that using a vehicle without a valid registration violates sections 39 and 192 and entitles the insurer to repudiate a claim, following its 2014 decision in Narinder Singh v. New India Assurance. A buyer who rides a lapsed 2011 bike home and has an accident on the way may find that the policy the seller handed over is worth nothing. Our earlier report on the RC expiry trap for used car buyers set out the same point for cars.

What This Means for Buyers This Diwali Week

The 15-year renewal is the one cost on an old vehicle that is fixed by law rather than by condition, which makes it the easiest to price in and the easiest for a seller to leave unmentioned. Three dates in the VAHAN record settle it: the registration date, which tells you whether the 15 years have run; the registration valid till date, which tells you whether the renewal has been done and, if not, how many months of late fee have accrued; and the fitness valid till date, which tells you whether the vehicle has already passed the test you would otherwise be paying for. The Rs. 99 RC check returns all three, with PUC and insurance validity, the hypothecation flag and the registration status, from the registration number alone, before you travel to see the vehicle.

Then do the arithmetic from the tables above. If the renewal is done, the seller's asking price already includes money he spent at the RTO, and a renewed 2011 bike with a fresh five-year registration is a better buy than an unrenewed one at a Rs. 1,000 discount. If the renewal is not done and the registration is still valid, deduct the central fee, the test fee, the green tax for the state the vehicle is registered in, and a margin for the repairs the test will demand. If the registration has already expired, add Rs. 300 or Rs. 500 for every month since the expiry date, do not ride or drive it until it is renewed, and remember that the seller's insurance will not protect you on the way home. If the vehicle is registered in Delhi, or you intend to use it there, walk away unless you are buying it to re-register elsewhere with the NOC in hand.

For the two-wheeler buyer in particular, our tip on 15-year re-registration of a used bike has the renew-or-scrap maths, and the Dhanteras bike checklist runs the paperwork day by day. For the longer view, the 20-year rule under the scrappage policy and our scrappage policy tip explain what happens at the next renewal after this one. And if you are the seller of a 15-year-old vehicle with the renewal done, say so in the listing and show the renewed RC; a Verified Listing for Rs. 99 cross-checks the VAHAN record so the buyer can see the new validity date for themselves.

This article is general information and not legal or financial advice. Central fees are taken from MoRTH notification G.S.R. 714(E) of 4 October 2021; state green tax figures are from the state and press sources named in the text and change by notification; fitness fee revisions reported in November 2025 are marked as reported. Fees, forms and procedures differ between RTOs, so confirm the amount for your vehicle and your state with your RTO or the testing station before you pay or agree a price.