ARAI certification, explained for people who buy work vehicles

When a business owner sees a new kind of work vehicle for the first time, the questions come quickly. Can I register it? Will it get a number plate? Can I insure it? Will a lender finance it? What happens if I am stopped on the road?

All of those questions lead back to one: is the vehicle type approved? This post explains, in general terms, what certification by ARAI means for someone buying a work vehicle, and where CROC EV stands. It is not legal advice, and the rules can differ by state, so always confirm the details with your RTO.

What ARAI is

ARAI is the Automotive Research Association of India, based in Pune. It is one of the agencies in India that test vehicles and certify that a vehicle type meets the standards that apply to it.

In general, before a new type of motor vehicle is sold for use on public roads, its maker submits it to a testing agency such as ARAI. The agency checks the design against the applicable standards under India's motor vehicle rules. If the vehicle type meets them, it receives a type approval, and vehicles built to that approved design can then be registered.

It helps to keep two steps apart. Type approval is about the design: it is done once, by the maker, for a vehicle type. Registration is about your individual vehicle: it happens at the RTO when you buy, and it relies on the type approval already being in place. A buyer does not take the vehicle for testing. The buyer's job is to check that the type is approved and that the papers match the vehicle.

What gets checked, in general

The exact list depends on the vehicle category, and we will not quote clause numbers here. Broadly, type approval looks at whether the vehicle is safe and built as declared. Typical areas include:

• Construction and dimensions: that the vehicle matches the declared design, size and weights.
• Brakes and steering: that the vehicle stops and handles as the standards require.
• Lighting and signalling: lamps, indicators and reflectors.
• Electrical safety: the battery, wiring and charging system of an electric vehicle.
• Declared performance: figures such as top speed, checked against the category the vehicle is approved in.

What it means for you as a buyer

For a business, type approval is less about the test and more about what it unlocks. In general:

1. Registration. A type-approved vehicle can be registered with the RTO and given a number plate, so it runs on public roads with its papers in order.
2. A clear category. The approval places the vehicle in a defined category. CROC EV is ARAI certified as an e-cart and registers as a commercial vehicle, which is what you want for goods carried as part of a business.
3. Insurance. Insurers generally ask for registration papers, and commercial use is usually covered under commercial vehicle policies. Ask your insurer which cover suits your use.
4. Financing. Lenders generally look for a registered vehicle with proper papers. Most buyers finance, so this matters.
5. Consistency. Each vehicle sold should be built to the approved design, so the vehicle you receive matches the one that was tested.

Where CROC EV stands

CROC EV is built on RT100, our reverse-trike platform for the 0 to 100 kg band. RT100 is ARAI certified, which makes it India's first certified reverse trike.

That came after four years of work in Pune: incorporation in 2020, the first prototype and closed-loop trials in 2022, then the first platform in 2023, with a team of 30 and more than eight design iterations.

In general, the e-cart category is for battery-operated three-wheeled goods vehicles with a capped top speed. CROC EV's top speed of 25 km/h is in line with that category.

For you, that means CROC EV comes with the papers a work vehicle needs. It is registered, it has a number plate, and it sits in a commercial category, so it can be insured and financed like other goods vehicles. Tell us your city and we will confirm the rules where you work.

Five questions to ask any seller

Whether you buy from us or from anyone else, these questions protect your business:

• Is this vehicle type approved, and by which agency?
• Which category is it approved and registered in: goods or passenger, and which class?
• In which states is it approved for registration?
• Can I see the certificate, and does the vehicle I am buying match the approved specification?
• Who handles the registration paperwork, and what will I need to provide?

Your next step

Tell us your city and what you carry at speedloopauto.com/contact, and we will confirm the registration position where you work. We sell, finance and support CROC EV under UrbanCarriers, and we can talk through financing support and the paperwork with you.

To see how the certified layout works, read what a reverse trike is, or open the CROC EV spec sheet.