Commercial Vehicle Road Tax: State Rates, Worked Examples and How to Pay

Commercial vehicle road tax is the one running cost that no fleet owner can negotiate, defer or shop around for. It is set by your state, it is worked out on the weight of the vehicle, and an unpaid quarter follows the vehicle into every renewal and every sale.

This guide shows how the tax is calculated, gives the official goods vehicle schedules for Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra with worked figures for real models, explains how to check the amount in other states, and walks through paying it online on Parivahan.

How commercial vehicle road tax works

Road tax on a goods vehicle is a state subject. Each state levies it under its own Motor Vehicles Taxation Act and sets its own schedule, so the same truck pays a different amount in Chennai, Pune and Lucknow.

Three features hold across almost every state:

• The base is weight. Most states charge by gross vehicle weight, also called registered laden weight, in slabs. A heavier slab pays more, and above a ceiling the tax rises by a fixed amount for every extra 250 or 500 kg.
• The period is short. Medium and heavy goods vehicles usually pay quarterly or annually, with some states offering a multi year or one time option.
• Light goods vehicles are often different. Several states now collect a one time tax at registration for small goods vehicles, sometimes as a percentage of the vehicle's cost under a goods vehicle schedule.

What does not apply is the car scale. The 12, 13, 18 and 20 percent lifetime figures quoted in many articles are car rates, and using them for a truck gives a wildly wrong number.

Which regime catches your vehicle depends on one line in the registration certificate: the laden weight.

Heavy vehicle road tax: the weight slab method

Working out heavy vehicle road tax takes three numbers: the GVW from the RC, your state's slab table, and the add on rate above the top slab.

Find the slab your GVW falls in. If the vehicle sits above the highest slab, take the excess weight, divide it by the step size, round any part step up to a full step, and multiply by the add on rate. Add that to the top slab amount.

Multi axle vehicles sometimes get a lower add on rate than two axle rigids, because the load is spread across more axles. Tamil Nadu is one example, below.

Commercial vehicle road tax in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu replaced its tax schedules through the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Act, 2023. The new First Schedule, published with the amending bill in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette, sets these quarterly rates for goods carriages by laden weight:

• Above 3,000 kg, up to 5,500 kg: Rs 1,425 a quarter
• Above 5,500 kg, up to 9,000 kg: Rs 2,000
• Above 9,000 kg, up to 12,000 kg: Rs 2,400
• Above 12,000 kg, up to 13,000 kg: Rs 2,600
• Above 13,000 kg, up to 15,000 kg: Rs 3,100
• Above 15,000 kg: Rs 3,100 plus Rs 100 for every 250 kg or part above 15,000 kg
• Multi axle, above 15,000 kg: Rs 3,100 plus Rs 75 for every 250 kg or part above 15,000 kg

Goods carriages up to 3,000 kg laden weight sit in the Fifth Schedule instead, which charges a life tax at registration worked out as a percentage of the vehicle's cost: 8 percent for a new vehicle in the amended schedule, and a lower sliding rate for older vehicles registered afresh in the state. Small pickups and mini trucks such as the Mahindra Bolero Pik-up at 2,950 kg GVW fall in that band.

Trailers have their own quarterly scale, starting at Rs 500 for a trailer up to 3,000 kg.

Commercial vehicle road tax in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department's tax rate page states that goods vehicles are taxed on laden weight, and that the Act allows payment at annual, quarterly, two monthly and monthly rates. Medium and heavy goods vehicles pay this annual tax:

• 7,501 to 9,000 kg: Rs 6,450 a year
• 9,001 to 10,500 kg: Rs 7,500
• 10,501 to 12,000 kg: Rs 8,550
• 12,001 to 13,500 kg: Rs 9,750
• 13,501 to 15,000 kg: Rs 10,950
• 15,001 to 15,500 kg: Rs 11,350
• 15,501 to 16,000 kg: Rs 11,750
• 16,001 to 16,500 kg: Rs 12,150
• Above 16,500 kg: Rs 12,150 plus Rs 450 for every 500 kg or part

A one time tax is optional for medium and heavy vehicles, at seven times the annual tax. Battery operated vehicles are exempt.

Light goods vehicles changed in 2025. The Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Tax amendment bill of 2025 moved new goods vehicles with a registered laden weight up to 7,500 kg to a one time tax of 7 percent of the vehicle's cost. However, the department page still lists the older weight based one time amounts for this class, so confirm the figure on the payment screen.

Worked examples for real trucks

Here is what the two schedules mean for three common models, using GVW from the Trucks India catalogue.

• Ashok Leyland Boss 1415, 14,050 kg GVW. Tamil Nadu: Rs 3,100 a quarter, so Rs 12,400 a year. Maharashtra: Rs 10,950 a year.
• BharatBenz 1617R, 16,200 kg GVW, two axle rigid. Tamil Nadu: 1,200 kg over 15,000 kg is five steps of 250 kg, so Rs 3,100 plus Rs 500, which is Rs 3,600 a quarter or Rs 14,400 a year. Maharashtra: Rs 12,150 a year.
• Tata Signa 2830.K TK SRT, 28,000 kg GVW, multi axle. Tamil Nadu: 13,000 kg over 15,000 kg is 52 steps at Rs 75, so Rs 3,100 plus Rs 3,900, which is Rs 7,000 a quarter or Rs 28,000 a year. Maharashtra: 11,500 kg over 16,500 kg is 23 steps at Rs 450, so Rs 12,150 plus Rs 10,350, which is Rs 22,500 a year.

The Maharashtra one time option on that Signa would be seven times Rs 22,500, or Rs 1,57,500. It suits an owner who plans to keep the vehicle in the state for many years and has the cash.

Karnataka, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh: how to check

Karnataka, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh each publish goods vehicle tax under their own Acts, with separate treatment for lighter and heavier goods vehicles. Schedules in these states have been amended several times, so this guide does not reprint a figure it cannot confirm against the current official text.

The reliable way to see your exact amount is the payment screen itself. On Vahan, the tax panel calculates the amount due for your vehicle's class and laden weight once you choose the tax period. Your RTO can confirm it too, and the state transport department website carries the notified schedule.

Lorry road tax online payment on Parivahan

Lorry road tax online payment works through Vahan citizen services on the Parivahan Vahan portal for almost every state.

1. Open Vahan citizen services and enter the vehicle registration number, or choose your state and RTO.
2. Select Pay Your Tax from the online services menu.
3. Validate the vehicle with the last five characters of the chassis number, then enter the OTP sent to the mobile number registered on the RC.
4. Choose the tax mode, such as quarterly or annual, where your state offers a choice. The fee panel shows the amount, including any arrears or penalty.
5. Pay online by card, net banking or UPI, then download and print the receipt.

If the OTP goes to an old phone number, update the mobile number on Vahan first. The tax status also appears on the registration record, which you can confirm with an RC details check.

What else a truck pays to the state

Road tax in the home state is not the only state charge. A vehicle on a national permit pays its home state tax plus the national permit authorisation, which covers other states. Without that permit, entering another state usually means paying that state's tax for the period, which Parivahan's check post tax service handles online.

Some states also add an environment or green tax on older transport vehicles. Maharashtra lists one for transport vehicles after eight years from first registration.

Arrears are the trap. Unpaid tax stays attached to the vehicle, appears on the registration record and blocks fitness, permit renewal and transfer until it is cleared.

Road tax on commercial vehicle in India: what to budget

For budgeting, treat road tax as a fixed annual cost that rises with GVW. On the figures above, a 14 tonne two axle truck pays Rs 10,950 to Rs 12,400 a year in Maharashtra or Tamil Nadu, and a 28 tonne multi axle truck Rs 22,500 to 28,000 a year. Your own state could be higher or lower.

At purchase, the first period's tax sits inside the on road price, as the guide to on road price vs ex showroom price explains. After that, it belongs in the same calendar as insurance, fitness and permit renewals.

Check the GVW first, find your state's slab, and pay before the period starts. Handled that way, commercial vehicle road tax is a predictable line in the accounts rather than a surprise at the next renewal.