How to Know Vehicle Registration Details Online?

All vehicles brought in India come with an individual registration or license number. This registration number or vehicle number is issued by the district level Registration Transport Office (RTO) of respective states. These plates are placed both front and back of the vehicle. By the law there is particular way in which it should be made. It is required to be strictly in modern Hindu-Arabic numerals with Latin letters. There are other restrictions too like the fonts that can be used and the plate to be lit up at night for the visibility.

There are different formats available for vehicle registration number. These are:

• For private cars: It has to be white background with black letters.
• For commercial vehicles: It is yellow background with black text.
• Commercial vehicles available for self-drive: Black background and yellow text.
• For foreign consulates: Light blue background and white lettering.
• Electric vehicles: green background and white text.
• For President of India and other state governors: No license plates for security reasons. Instead they have the Emblem of India in gold on a red plate.

There is particular format followed for the registration. The current format consists of four parts which are as follows:

• First two letters indicate the state or union territory to which vehicles belong or where it is being registered.
• Next two are the digit numbers. These are the sequential numbers of the district which are given to RTO offices for registration.
• Third part is one, two or three letters. This shows the ongoing series of vehicle registered with the RTO.
• Fourth part is the four digit unique number given to each vehicle.

To check the vehicle registration details online there are various sites available, namely:

• www.vahan.nic.in
• www.vehiclehistory.in
• www.vehicleinfo.online
• www.parivahan.gov.in
• www.drivespark.com

All you need to do is open any of the above links, put the exact vehicle registration number and press enter to find details.

Information you can expect to retrieve from these sites include the following: 

• Vehicle Registration information like location, RTO Code, District and State.
• Address of RTO where vehicle is insured.
• Name of the owner of the vehicle.
• Vehicle engine number, chassis number and fuel type i.e. petrol / diesel.
• Validity of insurance.

A revolution is about to take place in the field of registration of vehicle in the form of High Security Registration Plates (HSRP). This is a step taken by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to curb vehicle theft and enable easier tracking of lost and stolen vehicles. This new amendment will be mandatory for all vehicles sold on or after April 1, 2019. Existing vehicles can also opt for HSRP after surrendering and destroying old plates.

In all the action itself shows the importance for the registration number of a vehicle. So before you sell or buy your next car do look out for the registration details of the vehicle you intend to buy. This will answer many of your questions and will give you more confidence to make the deal.