Chapter XIII — Offences, Penalties And Procedure
Section 196 — Driving uninsured vehicle
Written and checked byManju Shekhar· Motor Law & Compliance· Updated 10 October 2026
Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (Act 59 of 1988)
Text of the section
Driving uninsured vehicle.—Whoever drives a motor vehicle or causes or allows a motor vehicle to be driven in contravention of the provisions of section 146 shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
Reproduced from the India Code text of the Act. Bracketed superscript numerals are the official footnote markers for earlier amendments.
Amended by the 2019 Amendment Act
In section 196 of the principal Act,— (i) after the words “shall be punishable”, the words “for the first offence” shall be inserted; (ii) for the words “which may extend to one thousand rupees”, the words “of two thousand rupees,” shall be substituted; and (iii) after the words "with both", the words ", and for a subsequent offence shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine of four thousand rupees, or with both." shall be inserted. 82.
This is the amending instruction from the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 32 of 2019), quoted verbatim. Read it together with the text above — the consolidated version is the section as it reads once these changes are applied.
Amended by the Jan Vishwas Act, 2026 — in force from 15 August 2026
(ZL) In section 196, for the words “punishable for the first offence with imprisonment which may extend to three months, or with fine of two thousand rupees, or with both, and for a subsequent offence shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine of four thousand rupees, or with both”, the words, brackets and figures “liable for the first contravention with penalty of three times the base premium for such vehicle specified under sub-section (2) of section 147 or five thousand rupees, whichever is higher, and for a subsequent contravention shall be liable to penalty of five times the base premium for such vehicle as specified under sub-section (2) of section 147 or ten thousand rupees, whichever is higher” shall be substituted.
Amending instruction from the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (No. 8 of 2026), Schedule entry 51, quoted verbatim. It took effect for the Motor Vehicles Act on 15 August 2026 under S.O. 4100(E), 24 July 2026. Where it conflicts with the text above, this later change prevails.
Before you rely on this. The base text above is the Act as consolidated by the India Code, which predates the 2019 amendment; 2019 and 2026 changes are shown separately rather than merged in. Later amendments may also apply. For anything official, read the current text on the e-Gazette or the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways site.
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