Complete Petrol/Diesel Vehicle Ban in India? 5 Major States Leading the Charge

Major cities in the country have recently faced a decline in air quality and experienced worsening air quality index, making traffic congestion, growing infrastructure projects and increasing pollution from outdated vehicles a significant health concern.

As the pollution and smog levels rise, health concerns like respiratory issues, heart diseases and early mortality are becoming increasingly evident.

In response to this, several states have started taking action, with some already implementing strict regulations or planning to propose a ban on old and outdated petrol and diesel vehicles to tackle the worsening air quality index.

Several major States, such as Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka, have introduced bans and policies to gradually phase out old and outdated vehicles in their respective states.

In addition to these bans and phasing out policies, other states such as Telangana and West Bengal have enforced much efficient as well as stricter vehicle fitness tests to ensure the same.

Delhi

Delhi emerged as the first state to impose a complete ban on 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles, taking a significant step in the country’s efforts towards cleaner and sustainable transportation. Effective from 1st April 2025, fuel will not be sold to such old vehicles at gas stations in the state.

In addition, to enforce this ban, the state government and fuel stations will make use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems.

These ANPR systems will include advanced cameras and processing units to assess whether a vehicle meets the age requirements for refueling set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

These systems shall play a significant role in identifying non-compliant vehicles, verifying PUC certificates as well as in determining the vehicle’s age using data from the Government’s Vahan Portal.

Furthermore, a specialized team will also be required, along with the advanced systems, to identify and deal with the non-compliant vehicles and to ensure stricter compliance with the rules as well.

Madhya Pradesh

After the petrol/diesel ban in Delhi, the Madhya Pradesh government is also planning to ban 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles in the state.

Under this ban, fuel will not be sold to these old vehicles, and they will also not be eligible for fitness certificates in the state.

Reportedly, a high-level meeting was also recently held with ministers of the state to discuss the proposed ban. If implemented, Madhya Pradesh would become the second state after Delhi to ban outdated petrol and diesel vehicles in the country.

The proposed ban is anticipated to be enforced in major cities of the state, such as Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Singrauli, where air quality index has recently worsened.

The proposed ban would apply to both commercial as well as private vehicles of the state. The government aims to reduce emissions from outdated vehicles by restricting fuel sales as well as fitness certification in the state.

At present, the ban is still under consideration, and no government order or official date has been announced as of yet. Citizens will be notified about the official date once the state ministries have finalized the proposal.

Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Government is also considering banning old petrol and diesel vehicles in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) doesn’t just include the Mumbai District but also extends to include neighbouring districts like Thane, Raigad and Palghar.

The city has been facing worsening air quality recently, experiencing a 12% increase in its Air Quality Index since 2020.

The Bombay High Court thus directed the State to conduct a study to explore phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles and transitioning to cleaner transportation like CNG and electric vehicles.

The State Government then formed a seven-member committee with the view to studying the possibility of imposing a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles and allowing only electric and CNG vehicles in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, in order to protect the environment as well as public health.

Telangana

The Telangana government has enforced much more efficient and stricter vehicle fitness tests targeting vehicles over 15 years instead of announcing a complete ban, to reduce emissions from outdated vehicles and deal with the rising pollution.

Starting from 1st January 2025, all vehicles that are older than 15 years must pass a fitness test conducted by the authorized Regional Transport Offices. This is applicable to both private and commercial vehicles, ensuring they comply with safety and emission standards.

Those that fail to pass the test will be banned from registration as well as operations, forcing owners to either scrap them or face penalties.

Vehicles that pass the fitness test can operate for an additional 3-5 years upon paying a renewal fee along with applicable green tax.

Notably, the government will also be required to follow these regulations and must scrap government vehicles once they get 15 years old.

West Bengal

The West Bengal Transport Department has also implemented regulations mandating all private and commercial vehicles operating in Kolkata and Howrah, that are more than 15 years old, to be scrapped.

Commercial vehicle owners shall be allowed to operate a new vehicle under the same permit, provided the old vehicle is scrapped properly following all the guidelines.

The scrapping process must occur at authorized Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility centers.

The main objective of this policy is to reduce emissions from outdated vehicles and improve the air quality in Kolkata.

Central Government’s EV Initiative

The central government is also taking significant efforts through initiatives like the vehicle scrappage policy, which offers owners of older vehicles incentives to scrap them in exchange for benefits such as discounts on new vehicles and waivers on registration fees.  Read more about the Government Policies and Incentives for Electric Vehicles in India.

These measures aim to reduce pollution from older, outdated vehicles, encourage quicker EV adoption, as well as facilitate a smoother transition to sustainable vehicles.

Final Thoughts

India is at the forefront of this EV transformation as the world shifts towards sustainable transportation.

The Central Government, in partnership with State Governments, has been actively promoting the adoption of EVs and alternate fuel-based mobility options in the country to deal with the rising pollution, develop the electric mobility segment in the country, as well as to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels.