How to register an electric scooter in India, step by step

Do you even need to register it

Not every electric scooter needs an RTO registration at all. Under rule 2(u) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, a scooter rated at 250W continuous power or less with a top speed under 25 km/h is not treated as a motor vehicle. It needs no registration, no number plate, no licence and no insurance.

Everything above that, which covers almost every electric scooter sold by Ather, Ola, TVS, Bajaj, Hero Vida, Revolt, Bounce and the rest, is a motor vehicle. It must be registered with the local RTO just like a petrol bike, and it must carry third party insurance from day one.

What the registration actually costs

For a normal petrol or diesel two-wheeler, the registration certificate fee is ₹300, with another ₹200 for the smart card RC, according to Acko's explainer on the RTO process. For a battery operated vehicle, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notified on 2 August 2021 that these fees for issuing or renewing a registration certificate, and for assigning a new registration mark, are waived. That notification, reported at the time by Autocar India and EMobility+, covers battery operated vehicles as a category, which includes electric two and three-wheelers, not just cars.

You still pay for the green number plate itself. Spinny's guide to green plates notes the fee varies by RTO and that dealers often add their own handling charge on top, so ask your dealer for the exact number before you sign.

The paperwork and the steps

The dealer usually handles most of this for you, and typically issues a temporary registration valid for 30 days so you can ride home the same day, per Acko's RTO guide. Behind that temporary number, these documents go to the RTO:

• Form 20, the application for registration
• Form 21, the sale certificate from the dealer
• Form 22, the manufacturer's roadworthiness and safety certificate
• Your purchase invoice, address proof, identity proof and PAN
• Proof of insurance, which is mandatory before the vehicle is on the road

Once the RTO verifies these, it issues a permanent registration and a green number plate, white lettering for a private scooter, yellow lettering if you are registering an electric auto rickshaw or other commercial three-wheeler, as Spinny's green plate guide explains.

What Karnataka riders should know

Road tax is where states differ, and Karnataka just changed the picture for cars without touching two-wheelers. The Karnataka Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Act, 2026, notified on 10 April 2026, ended the state's blanket EV tax exemption for electric cars, jeeps and omni buses, replacing it with lifetime tax slabs of 5% up to ₹10 lakh, 8% from ₹10 lakh to ₹25 lakh and 10% above ₹25 lakh, according to Angel One's coverage of the change. Electric two-wheelers were explicitly carved out and continue to pay no lifetime road tax in Karnataka. The same report notes the state's demand incentive for registered e-rickshaws, e-carts and other electric three-wheelers also continues, unaffected, until 31 March 2028.

So if you are buying an electric scooter in Bengaluru or anywhere else in Karnataka today, you pay no RTO registration fee under the central rule, no road tax under the state rule, and only the actual cost of the green plate and your insurance premium. Keep the dealer's invoice and the insurance certificate safe. You will need both again at resale, and at your first insurance renewal.

Sources