The government plans to introduce Bharat Stage VII emission standards for new cars and SUVs from April 2029, followed by small goods vehicles in 2030 and heavy-duty vehicles in 2031.
New Delhi, October 14 — The government is preparing to roll out BS-VII emission standards for new vehicles in a phased manner, beginning with cars and SUVs from April 2029, according to a senior government official.
Under the proposed timeline, new cars and SUVs will have to comply with BS-VII norms from April 2029. Small goods delivery vehicles and pick-up vans are expected to come under the new standards from April 2030, while heavy-duty vehicles will follow from April 2031.
The road transport and highways ministry has approved the proposed guidelines, and draft notifications are expected shortly.
The new standards will be fully aligned with Euro 7 emission norms, which are designed to further reduce harmful pollutants from vehicles and tighten emission control requirements.
Bharat Stage norms regulate pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter emitted by vehicles. The standards are progressively tightened to reduce pollution from road transport.
India currently follows BS-VI norms, which have been in force since April 2020. The country had skipped BS-V altogether and moved directly from BS-IV to BS-VI in order to accelerate improvements in vehicle emission performance.
BS-VI vehicles already emit significantly lower levels of pollutants and require low-sulphur fuel. The transition to BS-VII is expected to bring vehicle emission regulations even closer to the latest global standards.
The phased implementation will give automakers additional time to upgrade engines, exhaust-treatment systems and related technologies across different vehicle categories before the new rules take effect.
