By the Sevetu team
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Short answer
To drive a family's own car as their paid driver, the ordinary LMV (non-transport) licence is the licence for that car. You do not need a commercial (transport) licence or a badge for a private car. If you also want to drive taxis, cabs or company vehicles, look at the transport rules and your state's badge rules, which are set out below.
Why a family car is not a "transport vehicle"
The Motor Vehicles Act sorts vehicles by what they are used for. A motor car is "any motor vehicle other than a transport vehicle".1 A transport vehicle is "a public service vehicle, a goods carriage, an educational institution bus or a private service vehicle", and a public service vehicle is one used "for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward".1
A household's car carries the family, not paying passengers. So it is a motor car, and the Act asks for a licence that "specifically entitles" the driver only when the vehicle is a transport vehicle.2 Being paid a salary to drive it does not turn the car into a taxi. That is our reading of the definitions; we have not found a ministry page that names salaried household drivers in so many words, so if a family or an agency insists otherwise, ask them which rule they mean.
Delhi's transport department lists the two as separate classes: "Light Motor Vehicle (NT)", where NT means non-transport, and "Transport Vehicles".3
What changed in November 2024
For years there was a dispute over whether an LMV licence holder could drive a light transport vehicle, such as a small goods van, without a separate endorsement. On 6 November 2024 a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court settled it: a driver with an LMV licence "is permitted to operate a 'Transport Vehicle' without needing additional authorization", for vehicles under 7,500 kg gross weight, upholding its earlier 2017 decision in Mukund Dewangan.4
So for a family driver the answer is the same either way: an LMV licence covers the car.
What about the badge?
A driver's badge is a state rule for drivers of public service vehicles. Delhi's page puts it plainly: "The driver of a public service vehicle shall display on his left chest a metal or plastic badge".5 A family's private car is not a public service vehicle, so the badge does not apply to it. If you want taxi or app cab work, get your state's badge as well.
How to get an LMV licence, step by step
- Be 18 or older. Parivahan says anyone who has completed 18 years can apply for a licence to drive "a motor vehicle other than a transport vehicle". For a transport vehicle the age is 20.6
- Apply for a learner's licence on Sarathi (sarathi.parivahan.gov.in). The learner's licence process has been online since 2021, with Aadhaar authentication on a voluntary basis.7 In some states you can take the learner's test online from home; in others you go to the RTO or an authorised test centre, so check what your state offers on Sarathi.8
- Pass the learner's test. It is a computer-based multiple choice test, and you need sixty percent to pass.9
- Practise for at least 30 days. The learner's licence is valid for six months, and you can apply for the driving test after 30 days.8 If it runs out, it cannot be renewed; you take a new one.8
- Book and take the driving test. Book a slot online and bring a car of the class you are applying for.10
- Collect your licence, and save it in DigiLocker or mParivahan.
Documents asked for at the learner stage in Delhi: the application form with a declaration of physical fitness, two photos, and self-attested proof of address and proof of age. A medical certificate (Form 1A) is needed for transport licences and for applicants over 40.9
The official fees
These are the central rates from Parivahan. Your state may add service or smart card charges on top.11
| What | Fee |
|---|---|
| Learner's licence (each class) | ₹150 |
| Learner's licence test | ₹50 |
| Driving test (each class) | ₹300 |
| Issue of driving licence | ₹200 |
| Renewal | ₹200 |
| Adding another class | ₹500 |
Delhi collects the first three together at the learner stage: ₹150 + ₹50 + ₹300, so ₹500 for one class.9
How long the licence lasts, and renewal
For a non-transport licence, the Act sets the validity by your age:12
| Your age when it is issued or renewed | Valid until |
|---|---|
| Under 30 | Your 40th birthday |
| 30 to 50 | Ten years |
| 50 to 55 | Your 60th birthday |
| 55 and above | Five years |
A transport licence is valid for five years.12 You can renew up to one year before the expiry date or within one year after it. Leave it later than a year after expiry and you have to pass the driving test again.1314 Some older state pages still show a 30 day window; the Act and Parivahan's current FAQ say one year.
How a family will check your licence
Most families will ask to see the licence and check it online. Parivahan's "Know your License Details" service and Sarathi look a licence up by its number and your date of birth.15 A licence shown in DigiLocker or mParivahan is legally the same as the original card.16 If your licence does not show up in DigiLocker, the RTO that issued it can fix the record.15
Keep a clear photo of the card on your phone, and share it on the first call. It saves a step and shows you have nothing to hide.
Where Sevetu fits
On Sevetu, families post car and personal driver jobs for school runs, office drops, errands and outstation trips, and drivers apply directly. Joining and applying is free, and will stay free. There is no agent and no commission, and you keep the full salary you agree. Add your licence class and years of driving to your profile; families look for it first. See driver jobs →
Questions people ask
For a family's own private car, no. The Motor Vehicles Act treats a household car as a motor car, not a transport vehicle, and the transport licence rule applies to transport vehicles. An ordinary LMV (non-transport) licence covers it. You need transport rules and a badge for taxis and other public service vehicles.
Not for a private car. In Delhi, for example, the badge rule is for drivers of public service vehicles such as taxis. If you also want to drive cabs, apply for your state's badge.
At the central rates: ₹150 for the learner's licence, ₹50 for its test, ₹300 for the driving test and ₹200 for the licence. States can add service or smart card charges.
In some states, yes, online with Aadhaar authentication. In others you take it at the RTO or an authorised centre. Check on sarathi.parivahan.gov.in for your state.
Apply for renewal. The Act allows renewal up to one year after expiry without a fresh driving test. After that, you have to pass the test again.
Sources
- Motor Vehicles Act 1988, Section 2, definitions (21) light motor vehicle, (26) motor car "any motor vehicle other than a transport vehicle", (35) public service vehicle "for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward", (47) transport vehicle, read 11 October 2026. indiankanoon.org
- Motor Vehicles Act 1988, Section 3(1): "no person shall so drive a transport vehicle ... unless his driving licence specifically entitles him so to do", read 11 October 2026. indiankanoon.org
- Transport Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, Types of driving licence: "Light Motor Vehicle (NT)" and "Transport Vehicles" listed as separate classes, read 11 October 2026. transport.delhi.gov.in
- Supreme Court of India, Bajaj Alliance General Insurance v. Rambha Devi, 2024 INSC 840, judgment of 6 November 2024, paragraph 131(I) and (IV): an LMV licence holder "is permitted to operate a 'Transport Vehicle' without needing additional authorization" under 7,500 kg; Mukund Dewangan (2017) upheld. sci.gov.in, PDF
- Transport Department, Delhi, Driver badge: "The driver of a public service vehicle shall display on his left chest a metal or plastic badge", read 11 October 2026. transport.delhi.gov.in
- Parivahan, Learner's licence: 18 years for "a motor vehicle other than a transport vehicle", twenty years for a transport vehicle, read 11 October 2026. parivahan.gov.in
- Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Year End Review 2021, 31 December 2021: "The complete process of grant of Learner's licence has been made online", with Aadhaar authentication "on voluntary basis". pib.gov.in
- Parivahan, FAQ: Learner's licence related services, read 11 October 2026: validity six months, apply for the driving licence after 30 days; a learner's licence "cannot be renewed"; online learner's test "available in some states only". parivahan.gov.in
- Transport Department, Delhi, Learner licence, read 11 October 2026: documents (Form 1, Form 1A for transport and applicants above 40, photos, proof of residence and age); computer based test with sixty percent to pass; fee "(150+50+300) ... 500" for one category. transport.delhi.gov.in
- Parivahan, Permanent licence, read 11 October 2026: learner's licence held at least 30 days; online slot booking for the test; "bring a vehicle of the type to which the application relates". parivahan.gov.in
- Parivahan, Licensing related fees and charges, read 11 October 2026: learner's licence ₹150, test ₹50, test of competence ₹300, issue ₹200, renewal ₹200, addition of a class ₹500. parivahan.gov.in
- Motor Vehicles Act 1988, Section 14, validity of licences: transport licence five years; non-transport validity by age band, read 11 October 2026. indiankanoon.org
- Motor Vehicles Act 1988, Section 15(1): renewal "one year prior to date of its expiry or within one year after"; later than that, the test of competence again, read 11 October 2026. indiankanoon.org
- Parivahan, FAQ: Services on driving licence: renewal "within one year prior to or after the expiry", read 11 October 2026. parivahan.gov.in
- Parivahan, FAQ: Services on driving licence and Know your License Details, read 11 October 2026: look up by "Drivers License Number & DOB"; if details are not found in DigiLocker, "consult your RTO". parivahan.gov.in
- Press Information Bureau, MoRTH advisory, 9 August 2018: records on DigiLocker or mParivahan "are deemed to be legally recognised at par with the original documents". pib.gov.in
Written by the Sevetu teamSevetu is a hiring marketplace for household work in India, operated by Fiel Private Limited. These guides come from the questions families and workers ask us. Nothing here is sponsored, and where a number has no defensible source we say so instead of inventing one. About Sevetu
