Changing your car’s colour is permitted in India, but it’s essential to do so within the established regulations. If you’re planning to change your car’s colour, it’s best to check the relevant RTO regulations first to avoid any hassles later.
Here, we’ve discussed the RTO rules for car colour changes in detail. You’ll learn whether colour changes require RTO approval, which colours are strictly restricted, and what action can be taken if rules are violated. Stay turned to ensure you don’t miss any important points.
RTO rules for car colour change
If you have any car, whether it is for personal use or commercial use, you do not need any RTO approval to change its body colour; you can get it done yourself, but it is important to keep in mind that the regional transport office should be informed about this within 14 days of the colour change.
It is necessary to inform the RTO about the colour change because the colour of the vehicle is also mentioned on the registration certificate; if, during traffic checking, the colour mentioned in the RC and the actual colour are found to be different, then in this situation you will have to face problems.
You can change the colour of your car to any colour; just remember not to use military green, a police-style colour scheme, or any pattern that might imitate a government vehicle.
How to change the car colour with the RTO rules?
You can change the colour of your car by staying within the RTO rules, for which you will have to follow the following points.
- First, go to a professional workshop and have your car painted in a colour that is allowed and of your choice. Once the painting is complete, make the payment and obtain an invoice.
- Now go to your RTO where your car is registered and explain that you have changed the colour of your car and want to update its details on your RC.
- You will get Form 23 from the RTO, which is filled for vehicle alteration. You will have to fill it out correctly and also attach a valid insurance copy, Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate, identity & address proof, and invoice of repainting.
- The RTO officer will physically verify your vehicle and verify the colour. After verification, you will be asked to submit the form 23 with the required documents and the fee, which can range between ₹100 and ₹500 in different states.
After submitting the application to update the colour change details in the RC, you will receive the updated RC via post which will have all the details that were there in your old RC, with one change being the new body colour of your vehicle.
What if the RTO rules for car colour changes are violated?
In case of changing the body colour of the car, it is necessary to inform the RTO within 14 days and also get the details updated in the RC. If this is not done within the deadline, then in this situation, you may be fined between ₹500 and ₹5,000 during traffic checking.
If you do not update the details related to colour change in your registration certificate, then in this situation you may have to face problems in insurance claims, reselling and getting a fitness certificate and pollution under control (PUC) certificate in the future.
One more thing you should keep in mind is that you should inform your insurance company about the car’s body colour change so that you don’t risk having your claim rejected later. It would be better to first discuss this with your insurance company to see if there will be any problem with changing the car’s colour under their terms.
