Written by PPL Newsroom• October 9, 2026• 5:42 am• Policy

CAQM expert panel proposes exit of petrol and diesel cars from Delhi-NCR by 2040

The plan would end sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and retire older vehicles in stages, but the air quality commission has yet to take a final decision.

An expert committee of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has proposed a staged, roughly 15-year exit from petrol and diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR. Under the proposals, BS-VI cars could stay on the road only until 2040. The plan targets vehicle exhaust, a major source of the region’s winter pollution, though it is not yet binding.

What the panel has proposed

The 15-member committee is chaired by Ashok Jhunjhunwala, a professor at IIT Madras. CAQM set it up in December 2025 to draw up a multi-pronged roadmap for cutting vehicular emissions, with recommendations due within two months.

The draft is built around dates for different vehicle generations. The panel has called for the immediate removal of BS-I, BS-II and BS-III vehicles, and for BS-IV vehicles to be phased out over five years. BS-VI two-wheelers could be withdrawn by 2035, while BS-VI cars may remain in use until 2040.

The panel has also discussed seasonal curbs along the way. BS-IV vehicles could be barred during the peak winter months, from October 16 to February 15, before a full phase-out by 2030.

The plan also covers new sales. Zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles would make up 20 per cent of new private four-wheeler sales in Delhi-NCR in 2027, 45 per cent in 2028, 70 per cent in 2029 and 100 per cent by 2030. In plain terms, by 2030 every new private car sold in the region would be electric or otherwise free of tailpipe emissions. Manufacturers would report monthly sales, and companies that miss the targets could face registration curbs. Zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles include battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

Why the panel is acting

Health is the stated driver. The panel noted that exposure is considered severe when the Air Quality Index crosses 250. CAQM has also told the Supreme Court that vehicular pollution is among the most significant contributors to poor air quality in Delhi-NCR.

What this means for India

Delhi-NCR is the first Indian region to see a dated plan for retiring petrol and diesel cars, not just old vehicles. Because the 2030 and 2040 dates are only recommendations, car buyers, dealers and charging-network planners will watch what CAQM finally adopts. Other polluted cities, such as Mumbai, where the Maharashtra government set up a panel to study a similar ban, may follow what Delhi-NCR decides.

What happens next

The recommendations are not yet binding. They go to CAQM, which will take the final decision and issue any binding directions. Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said a decision on the panel’s proposals will come only after consultations.

The auto industry is not united on the idea. A CAQM consultation on 27 February showed a widening divide within the industry over a shift to zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles.

Existing rules remain in force meanwhile. End-of-life vehicles are diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. The Supreme Court ruled on 12 August 2025 that no coercive action should be taken against their owners, and CAQM has asked the court to review that order.

The final timelines may change after consultation. The proposals set out the likely direction for vehicle policy in the region over the next 15 years.