Why is A PUC Certificate Important for Your Car

The Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC), also commonly known as the PUC certificate, is issued by the Government to your vehicle and states that your car follows the pollution and emission standards as prescribed.

Once your car’s emission levels have been examined and verified, the emission from your car can be certified to be under control. The PUC certificate confirms that the units of carbon emissions from your vehicle are within the permissible limit and do not go beyond a certain percentage, contributing to the pollution levels.

Under the Motor Vehicles Act, having a PUC certificate is mandatory, just the way having valid insurance for your car, the registration certificate and a driving license are important.

Additionally, a mandate by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has made having a PUCC compulsory for vehicle owners wanting to buy or renew a bike or car insurance policy. We at Tata AIG always recommend having a valid PUC document if you plan to buy a Tata AIG car insurance policy.

Without a valid PUCC, under Section 190 (2) of the Motor Vehicle Act, you could be prosecuted. If you do not have this document with you, a first-time offence will attract a fine of ₹1000/- while you will have to pay ₹2000/- for a second-time offence. However, the purpose of introducing the PUCC as an important document is to ensure that vehicle owners are more aware of environmental issues and contribute towards reducing them.

Below are the reasons why having a PUC Certificate is important:

-You contribute to the environment’s well-being– Air pollution has already caused a lot of damage to the environment. By having a PUCC, you can do your bit to save the environment by keeping your car’s emission levels in check.

• You fulfil your insurance requirement – Under the Motor Vehicle Act, having a PUCC is a mandatory requirement and not having this document can cause inconvenience when you renew your car insurance policy.
• You know if your vehicle is healthy – Since the PUCC needs to be renewed every 6 months, you will know if something is wrong with your car. This is because cars in poor condition emit more fumes than well-maintained ones.
• You become a law-abiding citizen – Since having a PUCC is a legal requirement by the Government of India by the Motor Vehicle Act of 1988, with a Pollution Under Control Certificate, you become a responsible and law-abiding citizen.

If you don’t already have a PUC certificate, you should plan on procuring soon. Since you already know that the PUCC is important, by knowing what information it contains, you can understand why this document is mandatory and relevant. Your PUC certificate contains all the information as given below:

• The certificate’s serial number indicates when the last test was taken.
• The date of the PUC test.
• The validity of the PUC certificate with the date.
• The registration number of your car.
• The PUC test reading shows the units of emissions from your vehicle.

If you want to get a PUC certificate, your car will have to first undergo the emission test and then you can get the certificate.

• If your car is new, then your auto dealer can arrange a PUC certificate for you.
• To renew the PUC certificate, you can take the car to an authorised petrol pump.
• The ejection pipe of the car will be checked for the emission rate
• You can get the certificate after this test, once you pay the fees.

Alternatively, you can also choose to take the test at any authorised emission centre or services centre that carries out emission tests.

The cost of a PUC test is quite low and is anywhere between ₹60 to ₹100. Also, the model of the vehicle and the fuel type will influence PUC certificate charges.

To get your online PUC certificate, you download the document from the Parivahan Seva online portal (Maharashtra) or your state’s transport department’s portal. These are the steps to be followed:

• Visit the Parivahan online portal and click on “PUC Certificate”.
• Enter your login details and you will be directed to your online document.
• Here, you can download and print the certificate or choose to keep an offline soft copy.

The validity of a PUC certificate is 1 year after which your car will need to take the emission tests again. This mandatory test needs to be taken every 6 months since, after the first year, the next certificate will be valid for 6 months only. And with each test, you will get a new PUC certificate. Though this may seem like a hassle, the emission tests also serve another purpose. If the emission levels from your car are high, you will understand that your car needs to be serviced. Cars that are well-maintained tend to contribute less to the carbon footprint.

There may be times when the PUC test will show extreme results and based on that, the validity of the PUC certificate will be determined. But do note that if your car shows high emission levels, the agent present during the test will have to inform the Regional Transport Office or the Deputy or Assistant RTO. Your vehicle’s registration number will also have to be sent to the RTO within 24 hours of the test.

When you want to get a PUC certificate for your car, you should ideally have the document with you before you purchase a car insurance policy. It is also advisable that you always maintain a valid certificate by getting your car tested every 6 months. While the certificate is a mandatory document, the role of the PUC certificate is to also raise more awareness about the environment and the damage caused by the rising pollution levels.