BS-VII Emission Norms Proposed From April 2029 — What Changes for Vehicles & Owners

The government has proposed the next stage of India’s vehicle emission rules — Bharat Stage-VII (BS-VII) — to be rolled out in phases starting April 1, 2029.

Phased timeline

April 2029 — new cars & SUVs first
2030 — small goods / pick-up vans
April 2031 — buses & heavy-duty vehicles

What’s new (beyond the tailpipe)

Brake-particle emissions and tyre abrasion limits — regulated for the first time
Stricter limits on nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons, and particulate matter (PM)
Battery durability requirements for electric vehicles
Real-world driving emissions (RDE) testing from April 2030 — cars tested on-road, not just in labs
On-Board Monitoring (OBM) system to flag any exceedance of emission limits
Environmental Vehicle Passport (EVP) — a digital record of fuel consumption, battery health and emissions for every owner

Existing vehicles unaffected

BS-VII applies only to new vehicles. Existing BS-VI cars — and their life and registration — are not affected.

Context

India skipped BS-V and jumped straight to BS-VI in April 2020. BS-VII is broadly modelled on Europe’s Euro 7 framework, expanding the focus from just exhaust to brake, tyre, and battery pollution.

Note: This is a draft notification — public comments are being invited before the norms are finalised. Two-wheeler norms will be notified separately later.