Karnataka is the sixth-largest Indian state by area and the eighth-largest state by population. The state had 21 million registered vehicles at the end of the fiscal year 2019. Karnataka consists of 66 RTO offices, helping people of this state issue driving licences, allowing vehicle, travel, tourist permits, providing vehicle registration certificate and a range of other services. With the rising trend of digitisation, availing the RTO services have now become seamless.

If you are a resident of Karnataka you must know about the functions and rules of RTO offices in Karnataka, read on to get a complete idea on the same.

If you are eager to visit the official portal of Karnataka RTO, click on the following link. This will redirect you to the RTO website of Karnataka.
Karnataka RTO Website: https://transport.karnataka.gov.in/english

The RTO offices in Karnataka are mainly responsible for the following:

• Registering all kinds of vehicles, both temporary and permanent 

• Providing Registration Certificate (RC)

• Issuing duplicate RC

• Passing no objection certificates

• Initiating bike ownership transfer

• Initiating car ownership transfer

• Issuing transport permits - temporary and special permits

• Collecting road taxes

• Issuing national and tourist permits

• Initiating address change in RC

• Issuing fitness certificates for commercial vehicles

• Vehicle registration transfer

• International Driving Permit

• Learners’/Permanent Licence

• Commercial Driving Licence

In Karnataka, the RC of a non-transport vehicle is usually valid for about 15 years. After this term, the vehicle must be registered after every five years. The fitness certificate of the vehicle will be valid for about two years from the date of registration.
Here are the two types of vehicle registration in Karnataka:

• Temporary registration 

• Permanent registration

After registering your vehicle, you will receive a registration number from Karnataka RTO. This  number appears on the number plate of your vehicle.

As soon as the cars get registered, they are provided valid number plates from the RTO of Karnataka. It is crucial to get a valid number plate so that you can drive legally on the roads of India. The different types of number plates Karnataka RTO issues include:

• White number plate

• Yellow number plate

• Red number plate

• Green number plate

• Blue number plate

• Black number plate

• Red number plate with the emblem of India

• Number plate with an upward arrow

• Permanent RC

• Temporary RC

• RC Renewal

• Duplicate RC

All residents of Karnataka must pay a registration charge to the RTO in Karnataka to register their vehicle. The registration charge is calculated depending on the engine capacity or the vehicle type. Here is a detail about the registration charges in Karnataka:

• Registration Charges: ₹ 600 – For all cars

• Hypothecation Charges: ₹ 1,500 – If the car is purchased on a loan

• Number Plate Charges: ₹ 230 – 400 – Same for HSRP Number Plate

• Parking Fee/State Development Charges: ₹ 2,000 – MCD Parking Fees for cars under ₹ 4 Lakh

• MCD Parking Fees for cars Above ₹  4 Lakh (Applicable in some States): ₹ 4,000 

• Temporary Registration Charges: ₹ 1,200 – 1,500 – Temporary Registration for up to 1 month

• Road Tax Charges for Cars Under ₹ 5.0 Lakh: 13%

• Cars Between ₹ 5.0 – 10.0 Lakh: 14%

• Cars Between  ₹ 10.0 – 20.0 Lakh: 17%

• Cars Above ₹ 20.0 Lakh: 18%

Additional: Infra Cess and Road Tax Cess calculated at 11% of Calculated Road Tax

FasTag Charges: ₹ 600 FasTag fees payable on purchase of the vehicle

Disclaimer: These rates and charges are subject to change as per State.

For two-wheelers:

• 10%-12% of vehicle cost for new two-wheelers on first registration

• 75% - 93% for old two-wheelers not more than 5 years

• 49 % - 69% for vehicles aged between 5 Years and 10 Years

• 25% - 45% for vehicles aged between 10 Years and 15 Years

For four wheelers:

• 13%-18% on the cost of the vehicle for four-wheelers on first registration 

• 75% - 93% for old two-wheelers not more than 5 years

• 49 % - 69% for vehicles aged between 5 Years and 10 Years

• 25% - 45% for vehicles aged between 10 Years and 15 Years

The government imposes a road tax of 25.9% on fuel prices in Karnataka. This is quite high compared to other states in India. The reason is simple. Karnataka has a huge network of road infrastructure. It currently has a road network of 28,311 km, in terms of both state and national highways. 

This huge network demands more maintenance and monitoring. Naturally, the maintenance cost of the government increases in states like Karnataka. This is the reason behind the excessive road tax imposed by the state government of Karnataka, which is also feasible keeping the spending limits of the residents of Karnataka cities in mind.

Here are the top 5 things one should keep in mind when driving on the roads in Karnataka: A car must be registered by law.

• The tyres of the car should be properly inflated and in sound condition. 

• Horns should work properly. 

• A car should have headlights and backlights highlighting the number plate.

• The car’s braking system should be sound. 

• Carry your driving licence

Apart from that, here are some rules that you must check before starting to drive: 

• Get insurance for the car.

• Make sure that the registration number is visible in the right format. 

• Avoid drugs or alcohol while driving. 

• Drive a car that is in roadworthy condition. 

The traffic fines and penalties in Karnataka are extremely strict. If you fail to follow the above rules and regulations, you will be subjected to such fines. Traffic fines in Karnataka start from ₹ 5000 and can rise up to ₹ 10,000. Moreover, it can also lead to imprisonment for about a year. Here is a list of some of the fines:

• Driving/Riding without Licence: ₹ 1,000 for two-wheeler and three-wheeler, ₹ 2,000 for four-wheelers and LMV and ₹ 5,000 for others

• Disobeying Authorities: ₹ 1,000

• Driving Without Registration: ₹ 2,000 for two-wheeler and three-wheeler, ₹ 3,000 for four wheelers and LMV and ₹ 5,000 for others

• Dangerous Driving: ₹ 1,500 for two-wheeler and three-wheeler, ₹ 3,000 for four wheelers and LMV and ₹ 5,000 for others, up to ₹10,000 for second and subsequent offences

• Driving without Helmet: ₹ 500

• Not Providing a way for Emergency Vehicles: ₹1,000

As per recent reports, the Central Government took a step to amend the Motor Vehicles Acts thereby increasing the existing traffic violation fines and introducing several new ones. So, many people rushed to gather their pollution control insurance and certificates.

Yes, it is mandatory to have a motor insurance policy when you drive a vehicle in Karnataka. Each and every driver must have a policy that covers third-party damages. However, if you are caught driving without a valid insurance policy, for two-wheelers the fine is ₹ 1000.

Car insurance serves as a saviour as it protects us from unplanned liabilities and unforeseen incidents, on road. It is therefore necessary to have car insurance in India owing to the number of accidents that are happening in the past few years. 

Some of the benefits of car insurance includes:

• Repair bills due to the damage caused due to an accident.

• Lawsuits which also include the legal charges are held liable for the damage.

• It includes damages apart from an accidental one, earthquake, terrorism, etc.

• Benefits given to the survivors of the deceased.

As per recent reports, the Government promises to address the traffic congestion and parking issues in Karnataka. There are nearly 7 traffic police zones in Karnataka and they are responsible for handling heavy traffic and ensuring smooth conveyance. 

As of 2022, the Government collected nearly ₹660 crore as traffic fine in 3 years, and funds are spent on several traffic-related projects.In addition, a report stated that in 2022, about 9,857 persons had died in 36,100 road accidents in the State.

The vehicles registered in Karnataka can avail of the following contactless services without having to visit the RTO office:

• Issue of Learner's Licence & Including New Part in Learning Licence

• Change of Name in Learner's Licence

• Change of Address in Learner's Licence

• Duplicate Learner's Licence

• Renewal of Driving Licence

• Change of Name in Driving Licence

• Change of Address in Driving Licence

• Duplicate Driving Licence

• Issue of International Driving Permit

• Driving Licence Extract

• Issue of Conductor’s Licence

• Change of Name in Conductor’s Licence

• Change of Address in Conductor’s Licence

• Issue of Duplicate Conductor's Licence

• Renewal of Conductor’s Licence

The State Government of Karnataka came up with the faceless/contactless service which will save ample time and wastage of paper while conducting these services. This initiative will effectively reduce the issues faced by the residents who might find it a challenging task to visit the RTO office for these services.

The Karnataka State Road Safety Authority has decided to conduct several road safety campaigns and programs in certain slum areas which fall under BBMP and in 50 taluks across the State. They shared tenders asking several firms to take initiative in this program. 

Selected firms will stage street plays, and display road safety short films through LED display vehicles. In addition, they will also initiate awareness campaigns on overspeeding, rash and negligent driving, road rage, etc. One such campaign is Drive Safe Campaign.

According to a recent report, Karnataka is one of the biggest hubs of electric vehicles in India. C N Ashwath Narayan, Karnataka's minister for IT and biotech, recently announced an industry hub by the government for electric vehicles. It is expected to house over 1,000 start-ups in this field. The recent 'Beyond Bengaluru' project introduced this EV hub.

This hub will develop five centres of excellence. These will contribute to training, research and development, innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of IT, biotech and electronics segments. This is likely to help Karnataka become one of the biggest hubs for EVs in India.