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CNG and electric vehicles, ambulances, fire tenders and certain vehicles engaged in essential services have been exempted.
Vehicular emissions are one of the major contributors to PM2.5, accounting for about 23% of the total PM2.5 load during winter and 18 per cent during summer. (PTI)
Starting November 1, Delhi restricted the entry of vehicles registered outside the national capital that do not comply with BS-VI emission standards. The measure, introduced under the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), is part of Delhi-NCR’s winter pollution-control strategy and will remain in force until January 31, 2027.
The scale of the restriction is significant. According to Transport Department estimates, more than one million vehicles across Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad fall below BS-VI standards.
Gurugram and Faridabad together account for nearly 200,000 such vehicles, around 70% of which comply with BS-III or BS-IV norms. This figure also includes approximately 50,000 commercial vehicles. Meanwhile, Noida and Greater Noida have more than 400,000 vehicles below BS-VI standards, with BS-IV petrol cars making up over half of the total.
Delhi: A ban on the entry of vehicles below BS-VI emission standards came into effect on November 1, with a warning banner displaying the new restrictions at the Ghazipur border https://t.co/isKBnMxcUG— IANS (@ians_india) November 2, 2026
However, the restrictions will not apply to every vehicle below BS-VI standards. CNG and electric vehicles, ambulances, fire tenders and certain vehicles engaged in essential services have been exempted. Vehicles registered in Delhi are also outside the scope of this particular entry restriction, although other pollution-control requirements and vehicle-age regulations will continue to apply.
The restrictions are expected to affect commuters travelling into Delhi from neighbouring cities, along with small-business owners who regularly cross the borders.
Authorities will monitor compliance at entry points using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. These systems will scan vehicle registration plates and flag those requiring verification. Enforcement arrangements are also being strengthened along routes connecting Delhi with Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad.
Even vehicles meeting BS-VI standards must carry a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate to enter Delhi from November 1.
What Are Bharat Stage (BS) Emission Standards?
Bharat Stage (BS) norms establish the permissible emission limits for new vehicles before manufacturers can sell them. Compliance is determined through laboratory testing conducted by manufacturers.
India transitioned directly from BS-IV to BS-VI emission standards on April 1, 2020, bypassing the BS-V stage.
How Much Do BS-VI Vehicles Reduce Pollution?
According to an estimate by the Delhi-based research and advocacy organisation Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the transition to BS-VI standards was expected to reduce emissions from new vehicles by 60% to 90%. The extent of the reduction varies depending on the pollutant and vehicle category.
Diesel vehicles witnessed some of the most substantial changes. Under BS-IV norms, diesel cars were permitted to emit at least three times the nitrogen oxide produced by petrol cars. Under BS-VI standards, this difference came down to approximately 1.5 times, according to CSE.
BS-VI regulations also introduced a cap on the number of particles diesel vehicles can release. The prescribed limit is designed to eliminate 95% of these particles. To meet the requirement, manufacturers install particulate filters that capture soot before exhaust gases are released into the atmosphere.
On-road measurements in Delhi indicate that these improvements have largely translated into lower emissions.
The TRUE Initiative, in collaboration with the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), conducted approximately 111,000 roadside vehicle-emission readings across Delhi and Gurugram between December 2022 and April 2023.
The findings showed that BS-VI private cars emitted 81% less nitrogen oxide than their BS-IV counterparts. For BS-VI buses, the reduction was nearly 95%.
How Do Nitrogen Oxides Contribute To Air Pollution?
According to a 2018 source-apportionment study conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), vehicles account for 81% of the nitrogen oxides generated within Delhi.
These gases contribute to the formation of fine particulate matter and ozone in the atmosphere. Ozone, in particular, can irritate the lungs.
A separate study led by IIT Kanpur examined Delhi’s winter air pollution by analysing particulate matter levels on an hourly basis between November 2022 and February 2023.
The research attributed 17% of the city’s fine particulate matter (PM2.5) directly to vehicles. A further 32% was linked to particles formed in the atmosphere from gases, including those emitted by vehicles.
Do All BS-VI Vehicles Meet Their Emission Standards On Roads?
Despite stricter emission requirements, some BS-VI vehicles have recorded pollution levels exceeding their prescribed limits during real-world driving conditions.
The TRUE Initiative’s roadside measurements found that BS-VI CNG vehicles emitted nitrogen oxides at levels between 1.5 and 14 times their laboratory-prescribed limits. One category of light goods vehicles recorded emissions as high as 14.2 times the permitted level.
The study also found that BS-VI taxis and light goods vehicles emitted 2.4 times and five times the nitrogen oxides produced by BS-VI private cars, respectively.
However, CNG vehicles remain exempt from Delhi’s entry restrictions, irrespective of their emission standard.
Can A PUC Certificate Distinguish Between BS-IV And BS-VI Vehicles?
A Pollution Under Control (PUC) test cannot establish whether a vehicle complies with BS-IV or BS-VI standards because both categories are assessed against identical testing limits at authorised centres.
Although PUC requirements became stricter when India moved from BS-III to BS-IV, the prescribed limits remained unchanged during the subsequent transition from BS-IV to BS-VI. This is despite BS-VI vehicles being engineered to produce significantly lower emissions.
The reason lies in the pollutants covered by the test. For petrol vehicles, PUC centres measure carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons while the engine is idling. Diesel vehicles are assessed based on the darkness of their exhaust smoke.
However, BS-VI standards brought major reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions and particulate matter, neither of which is measured by the existing PUC test.
Consequently, a BS-VI vehicle with a malfunctioning particulate filter or catalytic converter could produce PUC readings similar to those of a properly functioning BS-IV vehicle.
This means an outside-Delhi BS-IV vehicle can be denied entry from November 1 even if it possesses a valid PUC certificate.
Meanwhile, under the Union Road Transport Ministry’s draft rules issued in July 2026, private BS-VI vehicles would be required to undergo PUC testing only once every three years until they reach six years of age.
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Ask News18Starting November 1, Delhi has restricted the entry of vehicles registered outside the national capital that do not comply with BS-VI emission standards. This restriction remains in force until January 31, 2027, as part of the winter pollution-control strategy.
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Aanchal is the Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than four years of experience in national and international news. My work involves covering breaking news, politics, current affairs and developments…Read More
November 02, 2026, 07:53 IST
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