In Delhi EV Policy, electrification roadmap: Cars next after three- & two-wheelers

4 min readVUpdated: Jul 2, 2026 04:06 AM IST

The only incentive for four wheelers in the current policy is in the form of a scrapping incentive — first 1 lakh applicants who scrap an existing ICE vehicle and buy an electric car within six months will be eligible for an incentive of

The Delhi government, for the first time, said on Wednesday that it intends to introduce electrification mandates for four-wheelers in the future. The intent, which did not feature in the draft EV Policy 2.0 released in April, has been incorporated into the final policy — Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy 2026 — which was notified on July 1.

As per the policy document, the government “intends to bring out electrification mandates for four-wheelers in future as well as aim to make a framework for disincentivising polluting vehicles that use inefficient fuels”.

Delhi is the first city in the country that has introduced sweeping mandates to stop registration of new petrol and diesel two- and three-wheelers to curb pollution.

Under the new EV policy, only electric three-wheelers will be allowed to be registered in the city from January 1, 2027, while registrations of new non-electric two-wheelers will be stopped from April 1, 2028.

The two-wheeler mandate had faced strong opposition during stakeholder consultations, but the government went ahead with it.

Industry players had cited lack of electric two-wheeler options for a large chunk of the population that depended on petrol two-wheelers while also raising concerns over India’s dependence on China for batteries and rare-earth processing — a multi-step industrial process of extracting and separating similar metals from raw mined ores.

Questioning the environmental gains of EV adoption, they had pointed out that around 71% of India’s electricity is generated from coal-based power.

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A four-wheeler electrification mandate would lead to an even more significant shift. However, the government has not yet revealed when such a mandate will come into place and whether it will be introduced in phases or through a sunset deadline — a specific date or point in time when a measure will come into effect — like in the case of the two-wheeler mandate.

At present, electric four-wheelers account for around 11% of Delhi’s four-wheeler fleet — recording a penetration of only 8.3% in the private car segment. Passenger four-wheelers, meanwhile, have an electrification rate of around 14.2%.

According to experts, while incentives can help kick-start electrification, large-scale fleet transition requires strong regulatory signals such as Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandates or phasing out of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.”These policies provide automakers with confidence that demand for EVs will be sustained over the long term, encouraging them to ramp up production, invest in innovation, and expand model offerings. Over time, this leads to lower costs and greater consumer choice, creating a virtuous cycle for EV adoption,” Amit Bhatt, India managing director at International Council on Clean Transport (ICCT), said.

Experts also pointed out that mobility policies in Delhi have historically influenced policies in other states, and the inclusion of electrification mandates for different categories of vehicles in the city’s EV policy is likely to make other governments consider more aggressive EV policies.

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The current EV policy primarily focuses on electrifying two-wheelers, three-wheelers and commercial vehicles.

“Two-wheelers constitute approximately 67% of the total vehicle stock in Delhi, making their rapid electrification critical for achieving meaningful reductions in vehicular emissions. Further, three-wheelers, commercial cars, and N1 category goods vehicles exhibit high daily utilisation and mileage, resulting in a disproportionate contribution to urban air pollution,” the new EV policy says.

The only incentive for four wheelers in the current policy is in the form of a scrapping incentive — first 1 lakh applicants who scrap an existing ICE vehicle and buy an electric car within six months will be eligible for an incentive of

Rs 1 lakh.

Devansh Mittal is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in the New Delhi City bureau. He reports on urban policy, civic governance, and infrastructure in the National Capital Region, with a growing focus on housing, land policy, transport, and the disruption economy and its social implications.

Professional Background

Education: He studied Political Science at Ashoka University.

Core Beats: His reporting focuses on policy and governance in the National Capital Region, one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world. He covers housing and land policy, municipal governance, urban transport, and the interface between infrastructure, regulation, and everyday life in the city.

Recent Notable Work

His recent reporting includes in-depth examinations of urban policy and its on-ground consequences:

An investigation into subvention-linked home loans that documented how homebuyers were drawn into under-construction projects through a “builder–bank” nexus, often leaving them financially exposed when delivery stalled.

A detailed report on why Delhi’s land-pooling policy has remained stalled since 2007, tracing how fragmented land ownership, policy design flaws, and mistrust among stakeholders have kept one of the capital’s flagship urban reforms in limbo.

A reported piece examining the collapse of an electric mobility startup and what it meant for women drivers dependent on the platform for livelihoods.

Reporting Approach

Devansh’s work combines on-ground reporting with analysis of government data, court records, and academic research. He regularly reports from neighbourhoods, government offices, and courtrooms to explain how decisions on housing, transport, and the disruption economy shape everyday life in the city.

Contact

X (Twitter): @devanshmittal_

Email: [email protected] ... Read More

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