The Delhi government is all set to ban fuel for old vehicles from next month onwards. Diesel vehicles more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old will not get fuel from July 1.
The government has also issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to implement a ban on refuelling end-of-life (EOL) vehicles in the city.
The action was taken in response to a Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) recommendation to reduce vehicle pollution.
Let’s know more about the fuel ban, the government’s SOPs, who is supporting or opposing, and who will benefit from this action.
What is fuel ban on old vehicles?
According to a directive from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), all end-of-life (EOL) vehicles-which include diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years, will not get fuel in Delhi from July 1, 2025, regardless of their state of registration.
Delhi government’s SOPs
In the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued on June 17, the transport department specified that fuel stations must display mandatory signage reading: ‘Fuel will not be dispensed to End of Life Vehicles — i.e., 15 years old Petrol/CNG and 10 years old Diesel w.e.f. 01.07.2025’.
44% car owners oppose the government’s decision
According to a survey, at least 44 per cent of car owners are opposed to the government’s decision on the fuel ban. Some of them said they are planning to get fuel using alternative ways, while others said that their car is still in good condition and has low mileage.
Who will benefit?
The government’s decision on the fuel ban is likely to deliver Rs 4.5 lakh crore of gain to auto companies, auto importers, and government tax collections, according to a recent report by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).
“If 1.8 million old vehicles are replaced by new cars with an average price of Rs 15 lakh each, the total turnover for the auto industry would amount to Rs 2.7 lakh crore,” GTRI said.
The report further adds that, with this replacement of old vehicles with the new ones, the central government will be able to collect approximately Rs 1,35,000 crore from GST and compensation cess, while the Delhi government would gain around Rs 42,187 crore from road tax and diesel surcharges.
GTRI also outlines that, “Real values will be at least 50 per cent higher as this data ignores the revenue to be collected on account of the replacement of 4.4 million two-wheelers.”
On the flip side, this rule of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years will no longer be allowed to refuel at any petrol pump across the capital, will impose harsh costs on small businesses, informal sector workers, and middle-class families who still rely on older vehicles for mobility and livelihoods.
Under this rule, Automated number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at fuel stations will enforce the rule by linking to the VAHAN database.
Overall, this ban will affect an estimated 1.8 million four-wheelers and 4.4 million two-wheelers in the National Capital Region (NCR), which extends beyond Delhi into key urban centres like Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad.
