Vintage vehicles may soon be exempt from scrappage policies
Respite for classic car owners, at least those with cars older than 50 years, is on the way, as the central government has drafted a proposal for a special registration plate and policy that will help identify and regulate vintage vehicles, exempting them from scrappage. The move will certainly help owners avoid harassment from enforcement authorities as well.
The norms as contained in the draft order 'Regulation of Motor Vehicles Order, 2019' aim to bring clarity and streamline the process of registering vintage cars (classified as vehicles over 50 years of age), with the view of their preservation. This allows these vehicles to be exempt from some of the regulations concerning their fitness, maintenance and emissions. While previously the government had made special allowance for vintage cars participating in vintage car rallies to operate without registration, the draft order states that this special registration will allow the vehicle to be piloted on public roads under a wider variety of circumstances, excluding commercial use.
The draft order stipulates a charge of Rs 20,000 for the registration, which will be valid for 10 years and can be further renewed. This vintage registration will void any old registration certificate, which can be kept for historical purposes only, and will require the vehicle to be fitted with high security number plates with the 'VA' letters in the registration number.
