MH-12 Series Nearing End, Pune Set to Get 3-letter Vehicle Registration Format Soon
Pune, 19th March 2026: Rapid growth in vehicle registrations has pushed the city’s transport authorities to plan a major change in the vehicle numbering system as the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) is set to introduce a three-letter registration series in the coming months.
The officials said the current two-letter alphabetical series under the ‘MH-12’ code is close to being fully utilised. The sequence has already reached the ‘ZG’ mark, and with only a few combinations left before ‘ZZ’, the existing format is likely to be exhausted within three to four months.
Following this, Pune will join metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Chennai, where three-letter registration series have already been implemented to accommodate the rising number of vehicles.
The vehicle registration system in India follows a standard pattern that includes the state code, RTO code, alphabetical series and a four-digit number. In Pune, registrations have progressed from single-letter to double-letter combinations, and will now move to three-letter codes to expand the available pool.
According to official data, Pune had more than 43.5 lakh registered vehicles by the end of February, including a significant share of two-wheelers and private cars. Authorities said the steady rise in vehicle purchases, particularly during festive seasons, has accelerated the use of available registration numbers.
The RTO officials have approached the National Information Center seeking approval to roll out the new series.
