Govt plans to exempt electric vehicles from registration fee

NEW DELHI: The government has moved a proposal to exempt electric vehicles from registration charges in a bid to promote electric mobility in the country.

The exemption will apply to all the categories of electric vehicles operating in India. The move comes amid swift momentum gathering around electric vehicles in the country as the government works out a roadmap for the transition to cleaner sources of mobility.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a draft notification in this regard for comment from stakeholders.


“In order to give a boost to Battery-operated or electric vehicles in the country, the ministry of Road Transport and Highways has initiated steps for providing differential registration fees under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The ministry proposes to amend Rule 81 of the CMVR in this regard, whereby battery operated vehicles will be exempt from the payment of fees for issue or renewal of registration certificate and assignment of new registration mark.

Niti Aayog recently prepared draft rules which proposed strict, time-bound measures for penetration of electric vehicles in the country’s fleet. One of the suggestions made included directing cab operators like Ola and Uber to convert 40% of their fleet to electric by 2026.

Minister of road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, however, has called for wider stakeholders consultation before taking drastic measures. Gadkari has however, maintained that the transition to electric mobility must happen eventually and automakers must adopt new technologies as they plan their production.