The government has proposed introducing Bharat Stage VII (BS-VII) emission standards for passenger vehicles from April 1, 2029, tightening pollution controls through new limits on exhaust emissions, real-world driving tests and battery durability requirements.

According to a draft notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the new rules would apply to category M1 vehicles — primarily passenger cars — manufactured from April 2029.

It invited public comments for 30 days before considering the draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

India currently follows Bharat Stage VI standards, introduced nationwide in April 2020, which significantly tightened vehicle-emission requirements and brought the country closer to international regulatory practices.

BS-VII standards would be introduced in phases, with additional requirements taking effect in April 2031 and April 2035, including controls on brake-particle emissions, tyre abrasion and particulate emissions across different powertrain technologies.

The proposal would require manufacturers to demonstrate compliance not only under laboratory conditions but also through real-world driving emissions tests and checks on vehicles already in service.

The draft sets a three-phase timeline of April 2029, April 2031 and April 2035, giving carmakers about two and a half years before the first limits bite. Component and tyre suppliers face separate deadlines, and several limits, such as tyre abrasion and some battery thresholds, are still to be notified. The rules cover electric vehicles for the first time through battery-durability and brake-particle requirements, and they push compliance monitoring into the vehicle itself.

Under the draft, the first phase from April 2029 would introduce BS-VII exhaust-emission limits for passenger vehicles, alongside requirements covering evaporative emissions, fuel consumption, electric energy consumption and battery durability.

Real-world driving tests would measure gaseous pollutants and particle numbers, while on-board systems would monitor emissions and fuel or energy consumption. The draft also envisages an Environmental Vehicle Passport giving users access to information on vehicle emissions, fuel consumption and battery health.

From April 2031, the proposed framework would introduce brake-particle emission limits and tyre-abrasion requirements. The draft sets a brake-particle mass limit of 3 milligrams per kilometre for pure electric vehicles and 7 mg per km for other specified powertrain categories.

Further requirements are scheduled for April 2035, including a common brake-particle mass limit across powertrain technologies and additional particle-number controls, subject to limits to be notified separately.

The proposed standards cover a range of powertrains and fuels, including petrol, diesel, compressed natural gas, ethanol blends, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles, as well as electric vehicles for applicable energy-consumption and battery requirements.

For M1 vehicles, the draft sets carbon monoxide limit at 1,000 mg per km for positive-ignition (petrol-type) engines and 500 mg per km for compression-ignition (diesel) engines. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) limits have been set at 60 mg per km for positive-ignition and 80 mg per km for compression-ignition.

Particulate limits have been proposed at 4.5 mg per km for both engine types.

The limits apply across fuels, including petrol blended with 20% ethanol (E20), diesel, CNG, LPG, hydrogen, methanol, and flex-fuel and bi-fuel vehicles.

The draft also regulates non-exhaust emissions and vehicle durability. From April 1, 2031, limits on brake particle emissions (PM10) are set by powertrain. They are 3 mg per km for pure electric vehicles and 7 mg per km for hybrids, fuel-cell vehicles and internal combustion vehicles. From April 1, 2035, a single 3 mg per km limit applies to all powertrains.

Abrasion limits for C1 tyres are to apply from April 1, 2031, with the limits to be notified separately.

For pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, batteries must retain at least 75% performance for the first five years or 100,000 km, and 67% up to eight years or 160,000 km, whichever comes first.

From April 1, 2030, type approval will include on-road emission tests using portable measurement systems, with a conformity factor of 1.0 for NOx and particle number, according to the draft.

Vehicles must carry on-board diagnostics, on-board monitoring able to detect emissions at least 2.5 times the limit, and on-board fuel and electric energy consumption monitoring. Fuel-consumption data must be accessible from April 1, 2030, and the monitoring data from April 1, 2032, including over-the-air.

Emission compliance must be maintained for 160,000 km or eight years, with an additional lifetime period to 200,000 km or 10 years.

Buyers would get an Environmental Vehicle Passport showing fuel consumption, battery state of health and pollutant emissions, with provision for in-vehicle display, the draft rules said.

The draft also allows petrol-type and diesel vehicles fitted with geofencing technology to be approved as ‘BS-VII-G’ vehicles. Manufacturers must declare and label ethanol compatibility above E20.

Published – October 14, 2026 11:04 pm IST