Polyaniline (PANI) was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline dissolved in aqueous phosphoric acid. The polymer was characterized by UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) techniques. Hardener free epoxy coating was formulated with 10% PANI. The curing process of epoxy resin by PANI was analyzed using FTIR and a suitable mechanism of curing was suggested. The corrosion protective performance of conventional polyamide cured epoxy and PANI cured epoxy coating on steel has been assessed in 3% NaCl by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The self-healing property of the PANI cured epoxy coating on steel in 3% NaCl was studied by scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET).