Last week was about September's records. This week was about the calendar. A rate hike changed the cost of every new loan, two Lok Adalat dates gave owners a chance to clear old challans, and Dhanteras on 6 November put a hard deadline on festive deals. Each one lands on the same place: the registration record of the vehicle changing hands.
Money: The First Rate Hike in Over Three Years
The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee met from 5 to 7 October and voted unanimously to raise the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50%. It is the first increase since February 2023, and the stance moved from neutral to "calibrated tightening", which signals more hikes are possible if inflation stays high. A floating-rate loan linked to the repo rate moves on its next reset date, not overnight, and a fixed-rate loan does not change during its fixed period. As an illustration, 25 bps adds about Rs. 120 a month to a Rs. 10 Lakh, five-year loan. The bigger point for buyers is in our EMI check: a seller's "almost closed" loan just got costlier to carry, so the lender's name on the RC matters more, not less.
Note: EMI figures are illustrative. Actual rates and eligibility depend on your lender, credit score and tenure. This is general information, not financial advice.
Dealers are not short of stock to sell on those loans. FADA said 75.57% of dealers expect growth in October, while passenger vehicle stock rose to about 43 to 45 days, roughly twice FADA's 21-day benchmark. A dealer with too many new cars pushes exchange offers, and exchange cars reach the used market fast.
Rules: Two Lok Adalat Dates and a Festive Deadline
Delhi's National Lok Adalat for traffic challans has moved twice, from 12 September to 10 October, and now to Sunday, 25 October, at seven court complexes including Tis Hazari, Saket and Rohini. Slip downloads are reported to open on 19 October; confirm on the Delhi Traffic Police Lok Adalat page before you plan around it. It is aimed at court-referred challans, the kind bike and scooter riders collect for helmets, triple riding and signals. The reduction is the bench's call, so do not assume a figure. Outside Delhi, the last national sitting of 2026 is on 12 December. Local dates can differ, so confirm yours with your State or District Legal Services Authority.
Dhanteras falls on 6 November, and counting back the transfer steps shows how tight that is. The seller reports a same-state sale within 14 days, the buyer applies for transfer within 30 days, and the insurance moves within 14 days. For a new RC by Dhanteras, the forms should be filed by about 24 October. Miss that and the deal still works, but delivery happens on the seller's RC.
| Date | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Now to 23 Oct | Buyers shortlist and inspect | Run the RC and challan check before the token |
| About 24 Oct | Deal closes | File Forms 29 and 30 the same day |
| 25 Oct | Delhi Lok Adalat on traffic challans | Sellers settle court-referred challans before listing |
| 6 Nov | Dhanteras | New RC in the buyer's name, if the RTO keeps its usual pace |
| 12 Dec | Last National Lok Adalat of 2026 | Confirm your state's date and check what is pending |
See Which Challans Are Pending, and Which Went to Court
A challan check on any registration number shows pending challans before you pay, settle or sell. Rs. 99, or Rs. 149 with the RC record.
Two-Wheelers: Theft, Loans and the Owner Count
Delhi Police data reported in December 2025 counted 33,133 vehicles stolen in the capital in 2025 up to early December, and about three in four were bikes or scooters. The festive rush is when a cleaned-up stolen bike is easiest to sell, which is why we covered the stolen check to run before any festive token. On a 350cc-plus bike, theft, a blacklist hold and an open loan are three separate problems, each needing its own check. On a 100 to 150cc commuter, the owner count, the hypothecation entry and pending challans come first. Sellers have the opposite job: a private sale before Diwali can beat the exchange price, if the record is clean before the buyer looks.
Working Vehicles: Tolls, Permits and the Switch to Electric
From 1 October, Mumbai's entry toll reportedly rose from Rs. 150 to Rs. 180 a trip for a truck or bus, and from Rs. 190 to Rs. 225 for a multi-axle vehicle, at five plazas. A truck entering twice a day for 25 days pays about Rs. 1,500 more a month before any pass discount, all through the FASTag tied to its number. Our permit, fitness and loan guide covers the rest: the permit does not move with the truck, and fitness runs two years up to 8 years of age and one year after. Selling one? Clear those first, then list.
On three-wheelers, electric models were 64.9% of September retail, so a used CNG auto is still worth it only at a low price, near CNG pumps, with the cylinder and kit papers in date. Telangana's Rs. 200 Crore scheme offers up to Rs. 1.5 Lakh per auto to convert or replace 18,766 Hyderabad autos, but the eligibility rules were not yet published, so do not pay a premium on a promise. A used e-cargo three-wheeler adds a catch of its own: battery health is not on the RC.
Older Cars: Age Is Not the Problem, the Record Is
A 10-year-old private car can be sold in most of India. Delhi-NCR's age rules are the exception to check. At 15 years, a private car needs a fitness test and renews in five-year blocks, so check whether that renewal was done. Our 15-year guide has the steps. And whatever the age, the old owner's FASTag does not change hands. The seller closes it, and the buyer gets a new tag.
What This Means for Used Vehicle Buyers and Sellers
For sellers, this is the week to get the record ready. Settle court challans on 25 October if you are in Delhi, close the loan with Form 35, renew the PUC and insurance, and list before the Dhanteras rush closes the window.
For buyers, a dearer loan and a short deadline are both reasons to check before paying, not after. Read the owner count, financier, fitness, PUC and pending challans, and run a stolen check on any two-wheeler. Then file the transfer forms on the day of sale.
Read the Record Before the Festive Token
Vahan Verify pulls the RC record for Rs. 99, the challan record for Rs. 99, or both for Rs. 149, from the registration number alone. Selling a car? A Rs. 99 verified listing puts a checked record in front of buyers before Dhanteras.
Frequently Asked Questions
The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee raised the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50 percent on 7 October, its first increase since February 2023, and changed its stance to calibrated tightening. Delhi's National Lok Adalat for traffic challans was rescheduled to Sunday, 25 October, and the last national sitting of 2026 is on 12 December. From 1 October, Mumbai's entry toll for a truck or bus reportedly rose from Rs. 150 to Rs. 180 a trip. FADA said 75.57 percent of dealers expect growth in October, while passenger vehicle stock stood at about 43 to 45 days against a 21-day benchmark.
Not straight away, and not for everyone. A floating-rate loan linked to the repo rate moves on its next reset date, which is written into the loan agreement. A fixed-rate loan does not change during its fixed period, and many two-wheeler loans and some used-car loans from non-bank lenders are fixed-rate. As an illustration, a 25 basis point rise adds about Rs. 120 a month to a Rs. 10 Lakh, five-year loan. Lenders can also choose how much of the rise to pass on.
Possibly, if the deal closes by about 24 October. Counting back from 6 November, a clean same-state transfer typically takes a couple of weeks at the RTO, so Forms 29 and 30 should be filed by around 24 October. The seller must report the sale within 14 days, the buyer applies for the transfer within 30 days, and the insurance moves into the buyer's name within 14 days. RTO timelines vary by state and festive queues can stretch them. A deal closed later is still fine, but delivery will be on the seller's RC with the new RC arriving after the festival.
No. A FASTag is linked to the registration number, but the account behind it belongs to the person who bought it. When the car is sold, the seller closes their FASTag account and the buyer applies for a new tag in their own name. Only one active FASTag is allowed per vehicle, so a bank can refuse the buyer a new tag while the old one is still active. A vehicle without a valid, functional FASTag pays 1.25 times the fee by UPI at a national highway plaza.