The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has published draft Bharat Stage VII emission rules for passenger cars, starting in April 2029. Unlike earlier upgrades, the draft leaves the laboratory tailpipe limits largely where BS-VI set them. Instead it tightens how emissions are tested on real roads, regulates particles from brakes and tyres for the first time, and sets durability floors for electric-vehicle batteries. Carmakers say the timeline is too tight.
India’s vehicle emission standards have moved in large, disruptive jumps. In 2020 the country leapfrogged from BS-IV directly to BS-VI, a change that required new fuel from refineries and cleaner engine and after-treatment systems from manufacturers. The next step is now on paper. A draft notification dated 12 October and reported on 14 October proposes BS-VII norms for M1 vehicles, which are passenger cars and SUVs with up to eight seats plus the driver, manufactured from 1 April 2029. The public has 30 days to comment on the draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
Same limits, tougher rules
The most surprising feature of the draft is what it does not change. Business Standard reports that the laboratory tailpipe limits for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons and particulate matter remain at BS-VI levels: – NOx: 60 mg/km for petrol cars and 80 mg/km for diesel. – Particulate matter: 4.5 mg/km. – Carbon monoxide: 1,000 mg/km for petrol and 500 mg/km for diesel.
The tightening comes elsewhere, mirroring the European Union’s Euro 7 regulation. Euro 7 also kept most Euro 6 tailpipe limits but broadened what is measured and for how long.
Real driving emissions. From April 2030, type approval will include on-road tests with portable emissions measurement systems, and the conformity factor for NOx and particle number will be 1.0. A conformity factor is the margin by which on-road emissions may exceed laboratory limits; setting it at 1.0 means a car must meet the same limit on Indian roads that it meets on the test bench. This addresses the gap exposed by the 2015 “Dieselgate” scandal, when cars that passed laboratory tests emitted far more on the road. India’s existing BS-VI real-driving rules, introduced in a second phase in 2023, allow a margin above laboratory limits, so the draft removes that allowance.
On-board monitoring. Vehicles must monitor their own emissions and flag levels at least 2.5 times the applicable limit. From April 2032 this data must be accessible through the diagnostic port or over the air. In effect, the car becomes a continuous emissions monitor, which could support enforcement and roadside checks.
Durability. Manufacturers must show compliance for 160,000 km or eight years, with a “lifetime” period extending to 200,000 km or ten years.
Beyond the exhaust pipe
The draft’s most forward-looking element regulates non-exhaust emissions. When brake pads grind against discs and tyres wear on asphalt, they shed fine particles into the air. As tailpipes have become cleaner, these sources make up a growing share of traffic-related particulate pollution, and they are just as relevant to electric vehicles as to petrol cars.
From April 2031 the draft sets brake-particle (PM10) limits: – 3 mg/km for pure electric vehicles; – 7 mg/km for petrol, diesel, hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles.
The lower EV limit reflects regenerative braking, which uses the electric motor to slow the car and reduces wear on friction brakes. From April 2035 a single 3 mg/km limit would apply to all powertrains. Tyre-abrasion requirements for C1 (passenger-car) tyres also begin in 2031, though the numerical limits and test procedures are yet to be notified.
Batteries and a vehicle “passport”
For electric and plug-in hybrid cars, the draft sets minimum battery-durability standards: – the battery must retain at least 75% of its performance for five years or 100,000 km; – at least 67% up to eight years or 160,000 km.
That gives buyers a regulatory floor on the most expensive component of an EV and could support the used-EV market.
Buyers would also receive an Environmental Vehicle Passport showing fuel or energy consumption, battery state of health and pollutant emissions, viewable on an in-car display. Manufacturers must declare and label compatibility with ethanol blends above E20, a nod to India’s biofuel programme. Petrol and diesel cars with geofencing technology, which can restrict operation in designated zones, could be certified as “BS-VII-G”.
Industry pushback
Carmakers were caught off guard. Industry executives told Business Standard, anonymously, that the timeline is “compressed” and could force launch plans for 2027–2030 to be revisited. Internal-combustion vehicles still make up roughly 90% of most manufacturers’ portfolios, so engineering and testing resources would go first to upgrading those models, which executives warned could slow EV development. The industry would prefer a start in 2032. Unlike BS-VI, BS-VII does not appear to require a change in fuel quality, which removes one of the most expensive parts of the last transition.
Why now
The proposal arrives as north India enters its annual pollution season. Vehicles are one of several major sources of urban PM2.5, alongside dust, industry, power generation and crop-residue burning, and their share varies by city and season. Tighter vehicle standards address only one part of the problem, and they apply to new cars, not the existing fleet.
Uncertainties
Reports differ on the scope and phasing: – An earlier Business Standard report, citing the Times of India, described approved phases for cars (2029), small goods vehicles (2030) and buses and heavy vehicles (2031). The later report and PTI describe an M1-only draft, with commercial vehicles to follow in separate notifications. NSH follows the latter. – A widely cited “20–50% emission cut” figure does not appear in the draft as reported. – Two-wheelers are not covered. – NSH has not seen the gazette text.
What to watch
Industry submissions during the 30-day comment window; draft rules for commercial vehicles and two-wheelers; and whether the brake and tyre limits survive consultation.
Ravi Kiran Nunna
Key facts
- Draft: MoRTH notification dated 12 Oct 2026; 30-day consultation; amends the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
- Scope: M1 vehicles (cars and SUVs) manufactured from 1 Apr 2029; all fuels and powertrains.
- Phases:
- 2029: exhaust limits, evaporative emissions, energy consumption, battery durability.
- 2030: real driving emissions, with a conformity factor of 1.0 for NOx and particle number.
- 2031: brake PM10 limits (3 mg/km EV, 7 mg/km others) and tyre abrasion.
- 2032: monitoring data accessible.
- 2035: 3 mg/km brake limit for all.
- Tailpipe limits: unchanged from BS-VI (NOx 60/80 mg/km; PM 4.5 mg/km).
- Batteries: at least 75% performance for 5 years or 100,000 km; at least 67% for 8 years or 160,000 km.
- Durability: 160,000 km or 8 years; lifetime 200,000 km or 10 years.
