Delhi EV Policy 2026: Petrol Two-Wheeler Ban From April 2028 — Check What CM Says
Delhi's Draft EV Policy 2026–2030 bans new petrol two-wheelers from April 1, 2028. Read the full timeline, Rs 3,954 crore budget breakdown, buyer incentives.
By Srajan Agarwal | 2026-04-14T10:37:08.931990+05:30
On April 11, 2026, the Delhi government released the Draft Electric Vehicle Policy 2026–2030 — its second-generation attempt at getting the capital off petrol. The document runs well beyond intentions. It has specific dates, a Rs 3,954.25 crore budget broken down year by year, and a clear signal to bike manufacturers: your petrol product has a deadline in Delhi. The draft is open for public feedback until May 10, 2026. After that, whatever survives the consultation becomes official policy.
The most discussed provision is this: from April 1, 2028, no new petrol or CNG-powered two-wheeler will be allowed to register in Delhi. Electric is the only option from that date onward. This is not a ban on existing petrol bikes — your Hero Splendor or TVS Jupiter on the road today will continue to run. What changes is new purchases. If you want to buy a two-wheeler in Delhi after April 2028, it has to be electric.
- January 1, 2026: No new petrol/diesel vehicles for cab aggregators and delivery fleets (app-based operations). BS-VI petrol two-wheelers already in service can continue till December 31, 2026.
- January 1, 2027: Only electric three-wheelers (autos, e-rickshaws) allowed for new registrations. CNG and petrol three-wheelers blocked entirely for new purchases.
- April 1, 2028: Complete ban on new registrations of petrol and CNG two-wheelers. Only electric two-wheelers permitted.
- March 31, 2030: Policy period ends. New targets expected for 2031–2035 cycle.
Why Two-Wheelers Are the Central Target?
The numbers explain the logic. Two-wheelers make up approximately 67 per cent of Delhi's total vehicle stock. That's more than any other category by a wide margin. Cars get more attention in the news, but it's bikes and scooters that dominate the roads and, in turn, the emission calculations. No serious EV policy in Delhi could afford to ignore this segment, which is exactly why this draft places a hard deadline on it rather than leaving adoption to incentives alone.
The policy says the shift from incentive-led adoption to regulatory enforcement is intentional. Delhi's first EV policy (2020–2024) relied mainly on subsidies and was considered broadly successful at early adoption but insufficient at scale. This version is designed to force the transition in high-volume segments rather than wait for market dynamics to play out.
The Money: Rs 3,954 Crore and Where It Goes
This is one of the more specific EV policies India has seen in terms of financial commitment. The government has not just announced a number — it has broken the expenditure into categories and years.
- Purchase Incentives: Rs 1,236.25 crore — direct subsidies to buyers of electric vehicles
- Scrappage Incentives: Rs 1,718 crore — for scrapping older BS-IV and below vehicles and replacing with EVs
- Charging Infrastructure: Rs 1,000 crore — building out public charging and battery-swapping networks
- Year-wise: Year 1 — Rs 965.5 cr; Year 2 — Rs 1,012.75 cr; Year 3 — Rs 1,231.5 cr; Year 4 — Rs 744.5 cr
What Buyers Actually Get?
Electric car buyers stand to receive incentives of up to Rs 1 lakh under defined conditions — but this is capped at the first one lakh applicants, in the case of those replacing older, polluting vehicles. The scrappage incentive ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh depending on the vehicle being retired. Additionally, there is a 100 percent exemption on road tax and registration fees for eligible EVs, valid until March 31, 2030. Hybrids get partial benefits — they are not excluded from the policy but are treated differently from pure electric vehicles.
Charging Network: Delhi Transco as the Nodal Agency
One of the persistent critiques of EV adoption in India is range anxiety — the fear of running out of charge without access to a nearby charging point. The policy addresses this directly by assigning Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) as the nodal agency to plan and implement charging and battery-swapping infrastructure across the city. Every car, two-wheeler, and three-wheeler dealership of original equipment manufacturers in Delhi will be required to install at least one public EV charging station at each outlet, aligned with PM E-Drive guidelines.
DTL is also tasked with building a dedicated digital portal for end-to-end management of the charging ecosystem — covering operator registration, station monitoring, and consumer access. A single-window clearance system is proposed to cut through the regulatory friction that has slowed private charging infrastructure in the past.
Battery Disposal: First Time in Any Delhi EV Policy
This draft introduces battery lifecycle management for the first time in Delhi's EV policy history. OEMs and other responsible entities will be required to follow Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, under an Extended Producer Responsibility framework. Batteries will need to carry unique identification codes for traceability. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) will help establish battery collection centres across the city, with clear guidelines for storage, transport, and recycling. The goal is to prevent the growing problem of lithium battery waste from undoing the environmental gains made by switching from petrol.
Governance Structure
The policy establishes a two-tier oversight structure. An apex committee, chaired by the Transport Minister, will manage policy implementation and the EV Fund. A high-level coordination committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, will handle inter-departmental coordination across transport, environment, power, and finance ministries. An EV Fund will be created to pool budgetary allocations, central scheme funds, environmental levies, and other sources.
Concerns on the Ground
Not everyone is convinced the timeline is achievable. Analysts and industry watchers point to at least three live concerns. First, whether charging infrastructure can scale fast enough — the 2028 deadline for two-wheelers is less than two years away, and the current public charging network in Delhi remains patchy outside select corridors. Second, affordability — entry-level electric scooters are still significantly more expensive than comparable petrol models, and while subsidies narrow the gap, they do not eliminate it for lower-income buyers. Third, the supply chain — can EV manufacturers ramp up production at the pace Delhi's policy demands?
Feedback can be submitted to the Transport Department EV Cell at ev-cell-trans@delhi.gov.in until May 10, 2026. After that date, the policy moves to finalization.
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