Last updated: October 2026
If your private car or any other non-transport vehicle with four or more wheels in Kerala has crossed 15 years from its first registration, you owe green tax of Rs.400, which covers the next five years and is collected when you renew the registration. Transport vehicles attract it earlier, from the 10-year mark, at yearly rates. You can pay online through the Vahan portal or at your RTO. Below: the full category-wise amount table, who has to pay, the exact online payment steps, what to carry for the renewal, and what happens if you skip it.
Kerala has levied green tax since January 1, 2017, under Section 3A of the Kerala Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, as a charge on older vehicles to discourage continued use of polluting stock. The published rates are:
| Vehicle class | When it applies | Green tax amount |
|---|---|---|
| Private (non-transport) 4-wheelers and above | Older than 15 years | Rs.400 for 5 years, at registration renewal |
| Light transport vehicles | Older than 10 years | Rs.200 per year, at fitness renewal |
| Medium transport vehicles | Older than 10 years | Rs.300 per year, at fitness renewal |
| Heavy transport vehicles | Older than 10 years | Rs.400 per year, at fitness renewal |
One Kerala report lists Rs.50 for two-wheelers and three-wheelers in the non-transport category and Rs.100 for those registered as transport vehicles, while another report on the same notification says two-wheelers and three-wheelers were exempted when the tax launched. The two published figures conflict, so for a bike or auto-rickshaw, go by the amount the Vahan portal computes for your registration number, or confirm at your RTO.
The headline figure for private cars is consistent across the 2016 government order coverage, a Kerala PSC study key on the Kerala Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, and the published Finance Act schedule summarised on our green tax service page: Rs.400 for five years for non-transport vehicles that have completed 15 years.
The tax is a vehicle-level charge, not an owner-level one, and it applies to:
It is collected by the Kerala Motor Vehicles Department, either online through Vahan or at the RTO counter. If you are unsure which RTO handles your vehicle, our Ernakulam RTO page shows what an RTO profile on this site looks like; your own RTO code is printed on your RC.
The official online route is the Vahan citizen portal. The steps, as documented for Kerala tax payments:
Keep the mobile number linked to your registration updated; Vahan processes run smoothest when the number on record matches. The payment itself needs no agent: the portal computes the amount from the registration record.
For private vehicles, green tax is collected at the time of renewal of registration, which needs a vehicle inspection at the RTO on Form 25. For transport vehicles, it is collected every year at fitness certificate renewal. When you go for the renewal, carry:
The renewal bundles several small fees; our duplicate RC fee guide shows the kind of receipt-level breakdowns Kerala RTOs use, so you know what each line on your renewal receipt means.
The 2016 notification said defaulters would be penalised under Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act: Rs.100 for the first offence and Rs.300 for subsequent offences. It also said vehicles that had not paid green tax would not be given Motor Vehicles Department services until the dues were cleared, which in practice means renewals, transfers, and permits can stall on an unpaid green tax line. Pay it before the renewal appointment rather than at it.
Do not confuse green tax with a separate February 2025 development: the Kerala budget for 2025-26 announced a 50 percent hike in the motor vehicle tax (the renewal road tax) on private vehicles older than 15 years, reported in budget coverage as expected to add about Rs.55 crore a year in revenue. That hike targets the road tax at renewal, not the green tax itself; the two levies are separate lines on your receipt.
Battery electric vehicles are widely reported as exempt from green tax because of their zero tailpipe emissions. For Kerala specifically, I could not find an explicit exemption clause in the published schedule, so confirm with your RTO before assuming an exemption for your vehicle. Two-wheelers and three-wheelers have the conflicting published figures noted in the table above. Hybrid vehicles have no separate exemption in the Kerala schedule I found.
No. For private 4+ wheelers it is Rs.400 covering five years, and it falls due again at each registration renewal. Transport vehicles pay it every year with the fitness renewal.
Yes. The Vahan portal accepts the payment and issues a digital receipt. You still have to present the vehicle at the RTO for the renewal inspection itself; the online payment only settles the tax line.
Green tax is computed against the registration number, so check the Vahan tax-due screen before you complete the transfer. Any arrears show up there and are best cleared as part of the purchase.
No. It is one line of the renewal bundle. You still need the inspection, Form 25, insurance, and PUC for the renewed RC.
The Vahan portal shows the computed amount for your vehicle before you pay, and parivahan.gov.in is the reference for current rules. The Kerala rates above have been stable since the tax took effect in January 2017, but verify before paying.
Fees and rules change without notice. Verify all fees on parivahan.gov.in before paying. This guide reflects the Kerala green tax rates published since January 2017, checked again in October 2026.
Keralam Transport