Cars and jeeps
| Cost of the vehicle | Tax |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹5 lakh | 13% |
| ₹5 lakh – ₹10 lakh | 14% |
| ₹10 lakh – ₹20 lakh | 17% |
| Above ₹20 lakh | 18% |
| Electric | 10% above ₹25 lakh |
Road tax in Karnataka
Karnataka charges a one-time lifetime tax when a private vehicle is first registered, worked out as a percentage of what the vehicle cost.
Two-wheelers
| Cost of the vehicle | Tax |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹50,000 | 10% |
| ₹50,000 – ₹1 lakh | 12% |
| Above ₹1 lakh | 18% |
| Electric | 4% |
Welfare cess. A flat cess of ₹500 on two-wheelers and ₹1,000 on cars has been enacted but commences on a date the state has still to notify, so it is not added to the figures above.
- “Cost of the vehicle” here means the invoice price including GST and cess, not the ex-showroom figure before tax.
- A vehicle already registered elsewhere pays a reducing share of this tax by age — 93% within two years, down to 25% past fifteen.
What else you pay at registration
- Registration fee
- High-security number plate
- FASTag
- Hypothecation charge, if the vehicle is financed
These are separate from road tax and mostly set centrally. We have not put figures against them here because we have not read them out of the fee notification yet, and a rounded guess is how an on-road estimate goes wrong.
Questions people ask
How much is road tax on a car in Karnataka?
It depends on what the car cost. Karnataka starts at 13% for a car up to ₹5 lakh and rises to 18% at the top band. It is charged once, when the vehicle is first registered, not every year.
Is there road tax on an electric car in Karnataka?
Only above a price. Karnataka charges 10% on an electric car costing more than ₹25 lakh. Below that its schedule does not price them, and we would rather say that than guess at the silence.
Is the tax worked out on the ex-showroom price?
Not quite. The schedule is applied to the invoice value including GST and cess, which is higher than the ex-showroom number on a brochure. That gap is why an estimate built on the showroom figure comes out low.
I am moving to Karnataka with my car. Do I pay again?
If the vehicle stays beyond twelve months it has to be re-registered in Karnataka, which means paying tax there — reduced by the vehicle's age rather than charged in full. You can apply to the state you left for a refund of the unused part, with the NOC and proof of the new registration.