Andhra Pradesh has topped the first Ease of Vehicle Ownership Index (EVOI), released by IndiaTech.org in partnership with Consumer VOICE. The index ranks 15 states and Union Territories on how easily a citizen or dealer can buy, sell and transfer a pre-owned vehicle. Andhra Pradesh scored 5.91 out of 10 and Kerala 5.74. Uttar Pradesh came last at 2.47, just behind Bihar (2.51) and West Bengal (2.56).
No state crossed 6.0. Eight of the 15 sit in a narrow band between 3.8 and 4.3, which points to friction across the system rather than in a few laggard states. Together, the 15 states account for over 85% of India's organised used-car market.
The EVOI scores each state on six pillars: policy and regulatory framework, digital infrastructure, process efficiency, transparency and accountability, institutional ecosystem and dealer support, and cost and affordability. Pillar scores are combined using a weighted geometric mean, so strength in one area cannot mask weakness in another. The findings draw on a pan-India survey of over 1,000 buyers and sellers, interviews with dealers, RTO agents and sector experts, and a review of central and state motor vehicle rules.
Launching the report, Minister of State, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra, said, “The used car market in India is very big, and many people buy their first car as a second-hand or used car. I remember my first car, which was also a pre-owned car. While there are hassles and challenges in the transfer of ownership, the integration of policies and their implementation across states is very important, as differences in state-level governance often lead to problems. The Central Government is working on policies in this regard, and we are also taking steps such as setting up automated testing stations, which provide considerable relief, promote ease of doing business and help eliminate corruption. There is always scope for improvement, and we will discuss the recommendations basis this report findings to further enable ease of mobility.”
EVOI 2026: state rankings
|
Rank
|
State
|
Score (out of 10)
|
Strongest pillar
|
Weakest pillar
|
|
1
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
5.91
|
Policy and regulation (7.90)
|
Dealer ecosystem (2.22)
|
|
2
|
Kerala
|
5.74
|
Digital infrastructure (7.02)
|
Transparency (4.86)
|
|
3
|
Tamil Nadu
|
4.58
|
Digital infrastructure (5.43)
|
Cost (3.13)
|
|
4
|
Delhi
|
4.58
|
Digital infrastructure (6.81)
|
Cost (3.31)
|
|
5
|
Karnataka
|
4.30
|
Policy and regulation (5.14)
|
Cost (3.75)
|
|
6
|
Gujarat
|
4.16
|
Transparency (6.03)
|
Cost (1.81)
|
|
7
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
4.10
|
Digital infrastructure (6.23)
|
Cost (2.19)
|
|
8
|
Maharashtra
|
4.09
|
Digital infrastructure (5.21)
|
Cost (1.94)
|
|
9
|
Telangana
|
4.09
|
Process efficiency (5.84)
|
Cost (2.50)
|
|
10
|
Punjab
|
4.03
|
Digital infrastructure (6.35)
|
Cost (1.94)
|
|
11
|
Rajasthan
|
3.97
|
Dealer ecosystem (7.32)
|
Transparency (2.52)
|
|
12
|
Haryana
|
3.86
|
Transparency (4.98)
|
Cost (1.94)
|
|
13
|
West Bengal
|
2.56
|
Transparency (5.80)
|
Cost (1.00)
|
|
14
|
Bihar
|
2.51
|
Transparency (4.70)
|
Cost (1.13)
|
|
15
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
2.47
|
Digital infrastructure (3.94)
|
Cost (0.56)
|
Findings of the Index:
Cost is the weakest pillar nationally, with 12 of 15 states scoring below 3.5. Manual verification and informal payments push the real cost of a transfer to nearly 10 times the statutory fee. In Bihar, a single transfer can cost Rs 13,000 to Rs 14,000 over and above the fee prescribed on VAHAN. At border RTOs in Tamil Nadu such as Hosur and Krishnagiri, an official fee of about Rs 800 becomes Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000.
Typical RC transfer times run from 7 to 10 days in Andhra Pradesh, where buyer, seller and lender authenticate biometrically, to more than 30 days in Uttar Pradesh. In 13 of the 15 states, applicants file online and are still asked to deliver physical copies to the RTO.
Road tax on a Rs 6 lakh petrol car ranges from 3% in Uttar Pradesh to 14% in Karnataka and Telangana, a difference of over RS 66,000 on the same vehicle. Only Andhra Pradesh and Telangana run a working refund for vehicles that leave the state. A March 2026 CAG audit of 145 motor vehicle tax refunds in Karnataka found a mean processing time of 436 days.
The Deemed Ownership framework, notified in 2022 under GSR 901(E), lets authorised dealers take legal responsibility for vehicles in their stock. Four years on, India has 2,032 such registered dealers, 875 of them in Kerala. Delhi, Karnataka and Telangana have none; Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have three or fewer each.