Planning to buy a new car? India's BS-VII emission rules to kick in by April 2029 - all you need to know

According to a draft notification issued by the MoRTH, the new standards will initially apply to M1 category passenger vehicles -- primarily cars and SUVs -- manufactured from April 2029 onwards.

In a significant move to tighten vehicular pollution controls, the Centre has proposed introducing Bharat Stage VII (BS-VII) emission norms for passenger cars and SUVs from April 2029, HT Auto reported.

According to a draft notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the new standards will initially apply to M1 category passenger vehicles -- primarily cars and SUVs -- manufactured from April 2029 onwards.

The ministry has invited public feedback for 30 days before finalising amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The transition represents India's next regulatory leap since the nationwide implementation of BS-VI norms in April 2020.

Phase 1 (1 April 2029): Introduces BS-VII exhaust emission limits for passenger vehicles alongside mandates for evaporative emissions, fuel consumption, electric energy consumption, and battery durability. Compliance will be evaluated via laboratory testing and on-road Real Driving Emissions (RDE) tests using portable emission measurement systems. An 'Environmental Vehicle Passport' will also be introduced to provide buyers with clear data on emissions, fuel economy, and battery health.

Phase 2 (1 April 2031): Expands the regulatory scope to non-exhaust emissions, enforcing limits on brake-particle mass (PM10) and tyre abrasion. The draft prescribes a brake-particle mass limit of 3 mg/km for pure electric vehicles (EVs) and 7 mg/km for internal combustion, hybrid, and fuel-cell powertrains. Specific C1 tyre abrasion limits will be notified separately.

Phase 3 (1 April 2035): Implements a unified brake-particle mass ceiling of 3 mg/km across all powertrain technologies, along with tightened particle-number controls.

Wider fuel coverage, exhaust limits

According to an HT Auto report, the draft standards span a broad spectrum of powertrains and fuels, including petrol, diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethanol blends (including E20), flex-fuel, bi-fuel, methanol, hydrogen, hybrids, and battery electrics.

For M1 category vehicles, the draft limits include:

* Carbon Monoxide (CO): 1,000 mg/km for petrol engines; 500 mg/km for diesel engines.

* Nitrogen Oxides (NOx): 60 mg/km for petrol; 80 mg/km for diesel.

* Particulate Matter (PM): Capped at 4.5 mg/km for both petrol and diesel engines.

* RDE Conformity: From 1 April 2030, type approval will mandate on-road tests with a conformity factor of 1.0 for NOx and particle numbers.

Automakers will also be required to declare and label fuel compatibility for ethanol blends exceeding E20, while petrol and diesel models equipped with geofencing capabilities can be certified under a distinct 'BS-VII-G' category, HT Auto reported.

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

Vehicles will also be mandated to feature advanced on-board diagnostics (OBD) and on-board monitoring (OBM) systems capable of flagging emissions exceeding 2.5 times the permissible limits.

Real-time fuel consumption data must be accessible starting 1 April 2030, followed by broader access to monitoring data -- including over-the-air (OTA) transmission -- from 1 April 2032.

Under the durability requirements, standard emission compliance must be maintained for 160,000 km or 8 years, with an extended lifetime threshold of 200,000 km or 10 years.