Delhi Draft EV Policy: No New Petrol Two-Wheelers from 2028

Delhi has released its Draft Electric Vehicle Policy 2026–2030, and for anyone who owns or plans to buy a petrol two-wheeler in the capital, the headline is hard to miss. From April 1, 2028, no new petrol-powered bikes or scooters can be registered in the city. Only electric two-wheelers will qualify.

The draft, released by the Transport Department’s EV Cell on April 11, 2026, is currently open for public feedback for 30 days, with submissions due by May 10. It may still be revised, but the direction is clear: Delhi is done treating EV adoption as a soft target. This policy sets hard dates.

The Key Deadlines

The draft lays out a phased timeline for phasing out fossil fuel registrations across vehicle categories:

• January 1, 2027: Only electric three-wheelers and auto-rickshaws can be newly registered in Delhi

• April 1, 2028: Only electric two-wheelers can be newly registered, petrol, diesel, and CNG two-wheelers are out

• January 1, 2026: No new ICE vehicles for aggregator-based operations, including bike taxis and light goods vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes

• December 31, 2026: Existing BS6 two-wheelers used for commercial aggregator services must have switched to electric

Two-wheelers are the centrepiece of this policy for a simple reason, they make up approximately 67% of Delhi’s total vehicle stock. Electrifying that segment would move the needle on air quality more than almost anything else the government could do.

What Buyers Get

The policy isn’t just bans and deadlines. It pairs the restrictions with a declining subsidy structure designed to push buyers to act early rather than wait.

Electric two-wheeler subsidies (for models priced under ₹2.25 lakh):

• Year 1: ₹10,000 per kWh, capped at ₹30,000

• Year 2: ₹6,600 per kWh, capped at ₹20,000

• Year 3: ₹3,300 per kWh, capped at ₹10,000

Electric three-wheeler subsidies:

• Year 1: ₹50,000

• Year 2: ₹40,000

• Year 3: ₹30,000

Electric goods vehicles (N1 category):

• Year 1: ₹1,00,000

• Year 2: ₹75,000

• Year 3: ₹50,000

The tapering structure is intentional, the government wants early adoption, not a last-minute rush before the 2028 deadline.

There are also scrappage incentives for buyers retiring older BS-IV or below vehicles in exchange for a new electric one:

• Two-wheelers: ₹10,000

• Three-wheelers: ₹25,000

• Four-wheelers (EVs priced under ₹30 lakh): ₹1,00,000

• Goods carriers: ₹50,000

On top of that, the policy proposes 100% road tax and registration fee exemption for eligible EVs priced up to ₹30 lakh, and a 50% partial exemption on road tax for strong hybrids until March 2030. EVs priced above ₹30 lakh get no road tax relief.

The Commercial Fleet Angle

The policy is tightest on commercial operations. From January 2026, no new ICE vehicles, two-wheelers or light goods vehicles, can join aggregator fleets. That covers cab platforms, delivery companies, and e-commerce operators. Existing BS6 two-wheelers used commercially get until the end of 2026 to make the switch.

This hits gig workers and delivery riders directly. Many of them don’t own their vehicles outright and depend on affordable financing. Whether the subsidy structure adequately addresses that reality is one of the more pointed questions the 30-day consultation period will need to answer.

Infrastructure and the Bigger Picture

The draft also commits to expanding EV charging infrastructure across Delhi, with provisions for battery swapping and recycling frameworks. The government has set aside ₹200 crore in the 2026–27 budget specifically for EV Policy 2.0.

That investment matters because the ban is only as effective as the network supporting it. A 2028 deadline for two-wheelers gives roughly two years for charging infrastructure to scale up to meet demand from millions of new EV riders, an ambitious ask in a city where the existing network is still patchy.

What This Means in Practice

If the policy is finalised broadly in its current form, the implications run deep. Petrol two-wheeler manufacturers will need to accelerate their electric product pipelines for the Delhi market. Buyers considering a new petrol bike or scooter have a shrinking window. And for the hundreds of thousands of delivery riders and gig workers who depend on two-wheelers for their income, the transition needs to be affordable, not just possible on paper.

The draft is still open to revision. But the structure is already there: deadlines, incentives, scrappage benefits, and a budget allocation. Delhi isn’t announcing intentions. It’s building a timetable.