NEW DELHI: Diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years will be barred from getting fuel at petrol pumps in Delhi. The directive is part of a broad attempt to enforce the scrappage of “end-of-life vehicles” (ELVs)—a measure long advocated by environmental experts but fraught with logistical, political, and social challenges.
With around 62 lakh vehicles in Delhi classified as ELVs, including 41 lakh two-wheelers and 18 lakh four-wheelers, the move could—on paper—represent one of the largest municipal-level interventions for cleaner air in the country.
Under the current guidelines, vehicles that have crossed the legally permitted age threshold (10 years for diesel, 15 for petrol/CNG) will not be allowed to refuel at any of Delhi’s 400 petrol pumps. Advanced Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are being deployed at filling stations to identify such vehicles. Dedicated enforcement squads have been authorised to mark and de-register offending vehicles on the spot.
Experts estimate that only 10,000–14,000 vehicles were removed from roads and sent for scrapping last year. While each vehicle contributes significantly to emissions—many lacking basic BS-IV level pollution controls—the cumulative impact on the city’s overall air quality has been, at best, incremental.
Several states have begun following Delhi’s lead. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab, and Kerala have also adopted or are in the process of piloting scrappage-linked incentives, often including road tax rebates of 10%–25% for new vehicle purchases following voluntary scrapping. Kearney, a consulting agency, in its report prepared for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways provided a list of ELVs across major states as of 2023.
The policy has brought enthusiasm to the car market, with vehicle makers eyeing the newly created demand. Interestingly, the second-hand car market has grown faster than the new car segment.
According to a report published by Cars24 in 2024, the number of used cars sold outnumbered new car sales, with projections indicating that used car sales will outpace new car sales by 1.7:1 by 2030