No petrol motorcycles and scooters can be registered in Delhi after March 31, 2028, the Delhi government announced on Monday. The registration of new CNG auto-rickshaws will stop at the end of this year. Beginning April 2028, therefore, every new two- and three-wheeler sold in Delhi will have to be an electric vehicle (EV).
The decisions, part of the Delhi government’s EV Policy 2.0, represent a sweeping, first-of-its kind policy reform in the country, aimed at making a significant contribution to the Capital’s chronic air pollution problem.
The policy will come into effect on July 1, following approval from Lt Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who announced the decision of the Delhi Cabinet on Monday, described the EV Policy as a major step towards making Delhi pollution-free by March 31, 2030. The government would spend Rs 15,000 crore on incentives and on strengthening the EV-charging infrastructure in the city, the CM said.
A senior Transport Department official clarified that the notification of the new policy did not mean that existing non-electric two-wheelers would be forced off the roads. “We are not stopping any bike or scooty from plying in Delhi. Our only push is that no new registration will be allowed in the city (after the deadline). The government is giving enough time of two years for both the customers as well as manufacturers for a gradual transition towards EVs,” the official said.
Delhi’s previous EV policy, brought by the Aam Aadmi Party government, expired two years ago, and was subsequently extended multiple times. The current extension runs out on Tuesday. It aimed to curb vehicular pollution and increase the share of EVs in new registrations to 25 per cent by 2024.
The new policy expands the incentives and scrappage benefits to encourage a rapid transition to EVs. The government has proposed a cash incentive of up to Rs 30,000 for buying an electric two-wheeler in the first year of the new policy, and Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000 for purchases made in the second and third years, respectively.
For passenger three-wheelers (autos), the incentive will be Rs 50,000, Rs 40,000, and Rs 30,000 in the first, second, and third years, respectively.
There are incentives for scrapping older vehicles as well. Owners who give up their BS-IV or older two-wheelers will receive Rs 10,000, while owners who scrap their three-wheelers will be eligible for Rs 25,000.
In its draft EV Policy 2026 published in April seeking public comments, the government had said that “two-wheelers constitute approximately 67% of the total vehicle stock in Delhi, making their rapid electrification critical for achieving meaningful reductions in vehicular emissions”.
On Monday, citing a 2008 study by the nonprofit TERI, Transport Secretary and Commissioner Niharika Rai said two- and three-wheelers contributed 46% of the capital’s vehicular pollution load, while commercial goods vehicles accounted for 33%.
“Nearly 80% of commercial goods vehicles operating in Delhi fall under the ‘N1’ category, or light commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. The policy, therefore, focuses on replacing the existing fleet in these three categories with electric vehicles,” Rai said.
Buyers of N1 electric trucks will be eligible for a subsidy of up to Rs 1 lakh in the first year, and those who scrap older, non-EV N1 trucks will receive an incentive of Rs 50,000.
“Gramin Seva vehicles reaching the end of their operational life will receive a scrapping incentive of Rs 15,000. In addition, the first 1 lakh owners scrapping BS-IV or older four-wheelers will be eligible for a scrapping incentive of Rs 1 lakh,” Rai said.
The policy also provides a waiver of the Delhi entry fee for the first 1,000 electric N2 trucks (3.5-12 tonnes) purchased within three months of the policy being notified.
The policy announced on Monday does not include the incentive for buying strong hybrid vehicles, which had been proposed in the draft policy. The draft had proposed a 50% exemption of road tax and registration charges initially for strong hybrids costing up to Rs 30 lakh ex-showroom. The idea was to use strong hybrids to bridge the transition to non-polluting cars as the capital built up its EV charging infrastructure.
The proposal had been backed widely by top institutes and consultants working to promote electric mobility, but had been opposed by critics who had argued in favour of investments in charging infrastructure and a push for the adoption of pure EVs.
The new EV policy continues with the 100% waiver on road tax and registration charges on fully electric vehicles. For four-wheelers, the exemption will apply to vehicles with an ex-showroom price of up to Rs 30 lakh. Officials said EVs bought under the policy will not be allowed to be sold or registered in another state for three years.
“This policy is only about promoting pure EVs,” Rai said.
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta at the Secretariat, Monday. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha) 
Share
