KOCHI: Kerala witnessed a massive surge in vehicle registrations in financial year 2025-26, with 9.46 lakh new vehicles hitting the road. It is the first time that vehicle registration numbers are crossing the 9-lakh mark in Kerala post Covid, with a 16.61% increase from the last financial year.
Meanwhile, the total number of vehicle registrations in Kerala has now crossed 1.92 crore, making it one of the most vehicle-dense states in the country. The largest number of vehicle registrations recorded in a financial year in the state is 10.5 lakh, in 2018-19.
Among regional transport offices (RTO), Thiruvananthapuram ranks first overall with 8.21 lakh registrations so far, followed by Kozhikode (5.95 lakh) and Ernakulam (5.79 lakh). The state reported 2.44 lakh new light motor vehicle registrations and 6.12 lakh motorcycle registrations in the financial year.
In 2025-26 alone, Thiruvananthapuram RTO recorded 37,681 vehicle registrations followed by Ernakulam RTO (28,193), Kollam RTO (27,592) and Tirur Sub RTO (22,530).
Nationally, Uttar Pradesh leads with around 5.4 crore vehicle registrations so far, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
The GST revision implemented last September had led to significant price cuts for small cars, SUVs, and two-wheelers under 350 cc. Small cars and two-wheelers under 350 cc were brought down to the 18% bracket from 28% while bigger cars, like SUVs, which were taxed around 50% saw a cut to 40%. The monthly vehicle registrations in the state spiked in October 2025, with 99,138 registrations. The numbers have remained above 78,000 since then.
The state’s surging vehicle numbers have always been associated with high purchasing power, and more recently, with an increasing number of electric vehicle (EV) registrations. The preference for two-wheelers, both conventional and electric, including among women and students, for local commutes is also highlighted as a reason.
At the same time, experts have raised an alarm over the rising vehicle density on the state’s roads, given the high accident rates. “Our traffic density is very high; that is, when the standard capacity of two-lane roads is 25,000 PCU (passenger car unit) per day, our roads currently record 50,000, according to the surveys we conducted. The capacity rises to 50,000-80,000 on four-lane tracks,” said traffic expert Upendra Narayan.