Are driving licence fees the same in every state?

Yes. The amounts are set centrally in the licensing fee schedule, so ₹200 to issue a licence is ₹200 everywhere. What varies between states is the portal layout and any state-level convenience charge added at the payment gateway, not the statutory fee itself.

Is the learner's licence test fee refunded if I fail?

No. The ₹50 covers the attempt rather than the result, and a repeat test costs another ₹50. The same applies to the ₹300 driving test: a repeat test is charged again at the full rate for that class of vehicle.

How much does it cost to renew a driving licence after it expires?

₹200 inside the grace period and ₹300 after it, plus an extra ₹1,000 for each year or part year of delay measured from the end of the grace period. There is no upper limit, so the cost of an old licence keeps climbing until you renew it.

Why does adding a vehicle class cost more than the licence itself?

Adding a class is charged at ₹500 against the ₹200 issue fee, because it is treated as a fresh endorsement on an existing licence rather than a new one. It is the reason it pays to decide whether you need motorcycle and car classes before you first apply.

Do I pay separately for the driving licence smart card?

The ₹200 issue fee covers the licence being granted. Some states levy a small separate charge for postal delivery of the card, which appears at the payment stage and is not part of the central schedule, so check your state's total before paying.

Do a bike and a car licence cost the same in India?

The statutory fees are the same per vehicle class, so a two-wheeler and a four-wheeler each attract the same licence and test charges. The difference is that every class is charged separately, so covering both costs the per-class test fee twice rather than one combined amount.

Driving Licence Fees and Learning Licence Fees in India 2026

Last updated: 8 September 2026

Quick Answer: Issuing or renewing a driving licence costs ₹200. A learner's licence is ₹150 plus a ₹50 test fee, and the driving test is ₹300 for each class of vehicle. These are the statutory fees, the same in every state.

Driving licence fees are set centrally, not by your RTO. The figures below come from the licensing fee schedule published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, so a quote that differs from them is a service charge on top, not the government fee.

Overview


Set by	Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, via Parivahan
Learner's licence	₹150 per class of vehicle, plus ₹50 test fee
Driving test	₹300 per class of vehicle
Issue of driving licence	₹200
Renewal	₹200, or ₹300 after the grace period
Where you pay	Sarathi, the licensing portal, or at the RTO

Latest Update

As of September 2026, the fees below are those in the fee schedule published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for use across India. The schedule is central, so a state RTO cannot set a different statutory figure. Re-check parivahan.gov.in before you pay, because the schedule is amended by notification.

What Are the Driving Licence Fees in India?

Every statutory licensing fee sits in one schedule. These are the ones an ordinary applicant meets:

Purpose	Fee
Issue of learner's licence, per class of vehicle	₹150
Learner's licence test, or a repeat test	₹50
Test of competence to drive, per class of vehicle	₹300
Issue of a driving licence	₹200
Renewal of a driving licence	₹200
Renewal applied for after the grace period	₹300, plus ₹1,000 for each year of delay
Adding another class of vehicle	₹500
Change of address or other particulars	₹200
International Driving Permit	₹1,000

The licensing fee schedule on Parivahan is the authority for all of them, and it carries its own last-updated date so you can check it has not moved.

Learning Licence Fees: What Does a Learner's Licence Actually Cost?

Two fees, not one. The learner's licence itself is ₹150 for each class of vehicle, and the learner's test is a separate ₹50. So a single-class learner's licence starts at ₹200 before you reach the driving test.

A repeat learner's test is charged at the same ₹50. Failing it is cheap; failing the driving test is not, which is the next point.

Why Is the Driving Test Fee Charged Per Class of Vehicle?

Because each class is tested separately. The ₹300 test-of-competence fee applies per class of vehicle, so a licence covering both a motorcycle and a car is two tests and ₹600, not ₹300.

The same logic applies afterwards. Adding another class of vehicle to a licence you already hold costs ₹500, which is more than the original ₹200 issue fee. Deciding your classes before you first apply is worth real money.

What Happens to the Fee If You Renew Late?

A renewal filed after the grace period costs ₹300 rather than ₹200, and then an additional ₹1,000 for each year of delay, or part of a year, counted from the date the grace period ended.

That is the one fee on the schedule that grows without limit. A licence left three years past its grace period carries ₹300 plus ₹3,000, and the arithmetic is the same whether the delay was deliberate or forgotten. Our guide on vehicle compliance documents sets out which of your papers expire on their own schedule.

What Are the Less Common Licensing Fees?

Worth knowing before you are quoted one:

International Driving Permit - ₹1,000. Covered in detail in our guide to the International Driving Permit.
Hazardous goods authorisation, endorsement or renewal - ₹1,000.
Appeal against a licensing authority's order under rule 29 - ₹500.
Driving school licence, issue or renewal - ₹10,000; a duplicate is ₹5,000.

Where Do You Pay a Driving Licence Fee?

On Sarathi, the government's licensing portal, after selecting your state. Fees can also be paid at the RTO, but the online route gives you a receipt you can reprint.

Keep that receipt. It is the proof that the statutory fee was paid, and it is separate from anything an agent or a service charges you for filling the form. If you would rather not deal with the portal, Jaagruk Bharat can prepare and file the application for you through our learner's licence service; the licence itself is issued by the RTO, not by us. More licensing guides sit in our documents and licensing category.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Treating a quoted price as the government fee. ₹200 issues a licence. Anything above that is a service charge, and it should be itemised separately.
Budgeting one test fee for two vehicle classes. The ₹300 is per class. Two classes is ₹600.
Adding a vehicle class later. It costs ₹500 against the ₹200 you paid to issue the licence. Decide your classes up front.
Assuming the grace period is the deadline. Past it, renewal jumps to ₹300 and then adds ₹1,000 for every year, or part year, of delay.
Discarding the fee receipt. It is your only proof the statutory amount was paid, and you may be asked for it.