Validity Of A PUC Certificate Of A New Car

When you buy a new car, you get a ready-made PUC certificate with it, which is valid for one year. After your new car has completed its first year, you will need to get it renewed. The new PUC certificate will be valid for 6 months. This means that you will have to get your car checked every 6 months by an authorised PUC centre if you want to keep driving it legally on the road. What is a PUC certificate? Why is it so important? And what are the legal and financial implications of driving a car with an expired PUC certificate? This article will answer all those questions for you. Read on to know more.

What Is A PUC Certificate?

PUC stands for Pollution Under Control. A PUC certificate denotes the carbon emissions emitted by your vehicle and whether they are within acceptable levels. To get a new pollution control certificate, you will have to go to a petrol pump or any of the authorised PUC testing centres. You will have up to 7 days after the expiry of your previous pollution control certificate to get it renewed. You can also renew your PUC certificate before your old one becomes invalid. If your car fails the PUC test, it means that your four-wheeler is contributing more to the environmental problems on a macro scale than it usually should. In that case, you might want to make relevant modifications to your vehicle to adhere to the present relevant environmental standards or get a new car altogether. It is, in fact, one of the four documents that you must always have on yourself while driving a car. A PUC certificate is as essential as your driving licence, vehicle registration, and car insurance   documents. Hence, you should always keep a soft or a hard copy of the same handy while you are driving your car. *

Is It Mandatory To Have A PUC Certificate?

The short answer is yes. The possession of a PUC certificate has been made mandatory by the Government of India under Section 190 (2) of The Motor Vehicles Act of 1988. The section states it is mandatory for all vehicles that operate on an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to have a valid PUC certificate. Having a PUC certificate has been made compulsory by the government, as the number of vehicles being driven on Indian roads is growing exponentially every year. Because of the same, pollution levels are also rising at a rapid pace. Because of this, as a way of communicating that we have a moral obligation towards our environment, the Indian government has mandated the possession of a valid PUC certificate. * Read More: Indian Motor Vehicle Act 1988: Features, Rules & Penalties

What Are The Consequences Of Not Having A Valid PUC Certificate?

If you are caught driving a four-wheeler with an expired PUC certificate by the authorities the first time around, you will be charged a fine of ₹1000. Thereafter, you will be charged double that amount for every repeated offence. If you are caught moving around the city in a car whose PUC certificate has expired long ago, there may be legal consequences too. If you do not possess a valid pollution control certificate, you will also not be able to get a car insurance policy or even renew one. Keep in mind that the fine values or the legal consequences associated with motoring a vehicle with an invalid PUC certificate are always subject to change and may differ between states. *

How To Obtain A PUC Certificate For Your Four-wheeler?

If you are wondering the following question in your mind -‘How To Obtain A PUC Certificate For Your Four-wheeler’, then the answer to it is that you can get one from your nearest petrol pump. Alternatively, you can get the pollution control certificate from any of the registered testing centres that can be found all over the country. The Indian government has played a hand in the proliferation of several testing centres throughout the country to encourage the citizens to get their cars tested for PUC. Once you are at the PUC testing centre of your choice, the officials out there will perform a series of simple tests to determine the emission levels of your car. After the tests, you will get a PUC certificate, which will have your basic details, the information regarding the car you got tested, its emission levels, its issue date, and its expiry. *

Conclusion

It is your legal and moral obligation to get your car tested periodically and get a valid PUC certificate in its name. If you are someone who has recently got a new car that has a valid PUC certificate and is looking for a car insurance policy that will protect your car in several ways, take a look at what Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company offers. You can even compare the car insurance prices of the various options that Bajaj Allianz offers by using the car insurance premium calculator available on Bajaj Allianz’s website. Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation. For more details on benefits, exclusions, limitations, terms, and conditions, please read the sales brochure/policy wording carefully before concluding a sale.   *Standard T&C Apply *Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation. For more details on benefits, exclusions, limitations, terms and conditions, please read the sales brochure/policy wording carefully before concluding a sale.