Delhi has taken one of the most aggressive steps yet to accelerate electric vehicle adoption in India. On June 30, 2026, the Delhi government notified the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2026, which came into effect on July 1, 2026, and will remain in force until March 31, 2030.
The policy goes far beyond purchase subsidies. It mandates that every authorised EV dealership in the city establish at least one public charging station within six months of the guidelines being notified. It introduces a single-window clearance system for charging infrastructure. It sets phased registration deadlines that will eventually phase out new petrol and diesel vehicles. And it allocates significant funding for charging infrastructure across the capital.
This guide on Delhi’s new EV policy 2026: mandatory charging stations at dealerships provides the complete, honest breakdown of what the policy requires, what it means for dealers and manufacturers, and how it will reshape Delhi’s EV landscape.
The Dealership Charging Mandate: What Every Showroom Must Do
The centrepiece of the policy’s charging infrastructure provisions is the dealership mandate. Under the new policy, every Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) operating in Delhi is required to install at least one public charging station at each of its authorised dealerships.
The mandate includes specific minimum requirements for charging points. Each dealership charging station must have a minimum of three charging points for two-wheelers and three-wheelers, and two charging points for four-wheelers. This ensures that charging facilities at dealerships can serve the full spectrum of electric vehicles, from scooters and rickshaws to passenger cars.
The requirement must be fulfilled within six months of the guidelines being notified. Failure to comply could result in deactivation of dealerships from the incentive processing portal until compliance is achieved. This is not a voluntary recommendation. It is a binding condition with direct consequences for dealership operations.
The rationale behind the mandate is straightforward. It expands public charging access at locations where EV buyers already visit, creating a natural touchpoint for charging infrastructure. It ensures that dealerships are equipped to demonstrate and support the EVs they sell. And it distributes charging infrastructure across the city rather than concentrating it in a few dedicated charging hubs.
The Single-Window Clearance System
One of the most significant provisions of the policy is the introduction of a single-window clearance system for charging infrastructure. This system is designed to help charging point operators and battery-swapping operators obtain approvals and electricity connections more quickly for public and semi-public charging stations.
Under the new framework, charging infrastructure developers will receive a dedicated digital platform for site onboarding, approvals, monitoring, and reporting. Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) will notify standard operating procedures covering technical standards, approval timelines, service benchmarks, and monitoring mechanisms.
The single-window system addresses one of the most persistent barriers to charging infrastructure deployment in Indian cities: procedural delays. By consolidating approvals into a single digital platform, the policy aims to significantly reduce the time required to establish new charging stations.
DTL has been designated as the nodal agency for planning, coordinating, and implementing public EV charging and battery-swapping infrastructure across the capital. DTL will aggregate demand, identify suitable locations, assess electricity load requirements, and undertake system-level planning for phased deployment.
A high-powered committee, headed by the Chief Secretary and comprising representatives of the transport, power, planning, environment, and finance departments, DTL, and DISCOMs, will oversee the development of charging infrastructure.
The Registration Deadlines: A Phased Transition to Electric
The policy includes phased registration deadlines that will fundamentally reshape the vehicle market in the capital.
From January 1, 2027, only electric autorickshaws (L5 category) and N1 category goods vehicles will be registered in Delhi. This applies to light commercial goods vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 tonnes.
From April 1, 2028, only electric two-wheelers will be eligible for new registration in the capital, effectively phasing out the registration of new petrol and CNG-powered two-wheelers. This has the largest retail impact because two-wheelers account for approximately 67 percent of Delhi’s registered vehicle stock.
The mandates apply to new registrations. They do not automatically remove existing petrol or CNG vehicles from Delhi’s roads. However, older vehicles will continue to be governed by the city’s separate vehicle-age and end-of-life regulations.
The Incentive Structure
The policy offers financial incentives designed to encourage early adoption before the compulsory registration deadlines take effect.
Electric two-wheelers priced at no more than ₹2.25 lakh ex-showroom qualify for an incentive of ₹10,000 per kWh in the first year, capped at ₹30,000. The benefit falls to ₹6,600 per kWh, capped at ₹20,000, in the second year. It drops further to ₹3,300 per kWh, capped at ₹10,000, in the third year.
Electric L5M auto-rickshaws qualify for ₹50,000 in the first year, ₹40,000 in the second year, and ₹30,000 in the third year.
N1 electric goods carriers with a gross vehicle weight above 1.75 tonnes qualify for ₹1 lakh in the first year, ₹75,000 in the second year, and ₹50,000 in the third year.
Pure electric vehicles will continue to enjoy exemptions from road tax and registration fees. Electric cars priced up to ₹30 lakh are set to get a 100 percent waiver on road tax and registration fees until March 31, 2030. Hybrid vehicles will not receive any subsidy under the new policy.
Additional incentives will be offered to owners who scrap old vehicles while purchasing new electric ones. The policy includes a ₹500 crore allocation for scrappage incentives and over ₹3,000 crore for other purposes.
The Impact on Dealerships
The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) has backed the Delhi EV Policy 2026, despite acknowledging that the transition will impose additional costs on dealerships and manufacturers.
FADA President C S Vigneshwar said dealerships would need to invest in charging equipment, workshop tools, and technician training as the capital moves away from internal-combustion vehicles. Some manufacturers will also have to expand their electric product ranges and production capacity before the registration restrictions take effect.
FADA has also offered to invest in Delhi’s EV ecosystem. The association has proposed setting up 150 public EV charging stations across the city and is willing to fund the infrastructure in partnership with the government. It has also proposed establishing vehicle scrappage centres in Delhi.
FADA has emphasised that the operational burden of the transition will largely fall on dealer networks. As Vigneshwar put it: “Enablement always goes faster than enforcement”. The association has called for dealers to be included as active participants in the EV transition, given their role as the last-mile interface with customers.
FADA Delhi chairperson Shailender Luthra added: “The biggest burden of this transformation does not fall on OEMs alone; it falls on dealers”.
The Urban Charging Infrastructure Expansion
Delhi plans to install 23,000 EV charging points across the city during the policy period. This represents a significant expansion from the existing public charging infrastructure.
To improve charging efficiency, DISCOMs will explore the use of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) at electric bus depots for better load management and grid reliability. They will also examine time-of-day tariffs and differential electricity pricing through the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission to reduce charging costs.
The policy places significant emphasis on community and residential charging. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), group housing societies, residential communities, and private entities are encouraged to facilitate community and private EV charging infrastructure within residential premises.
Charging infrastructure at suitable government-owned locations will also be developed to support the growing use of electric buses and trucks and provide reliable charging access for private fleet operators.
The Honest Assessment
Delhi’s EV Policy 2026 represents one of the most comprehensive and aggressive electric vehicle policies in India. It goes beyond purchase subsidies to mandate charging infrastructure at dealerships, phase out new ICE vehicle registrations, and create a single-window clearance system for charging infrastructure development.
The dealership charging mandate is a smart approach to distributing infrastructure across the city. By requiring every dealership to install public charging stations, the policy ensures that charging access is available where EV buyers already go. The single-window clearance system addresses the procedural delays that have historically held back charging rollouts in Indian cities.
The registration deadlines are ambitious. Phasing out new petrol and CNG two-wheeler registrations by April 2028 is a bold move that will require significant preparation from manufacturers and dealers. The incentive structure is front-loaded to encourage early adoption.
The challenges are real. Dealerships will need to invest in charging equipment, workshop tools, and technician training. The grid will need upgrades to support 23,000 new charging points. The phase-out of ICE vehicle registrations will need to be carefully managed to ensure adequate supply of electric alternatives.
The honest verdict: Delhi’s EV Policy 2026 is a bold and comprehensive framework for accelerating electric mobility. It addresses the key barriers to EV adoption including charging infrastructure, upfront costs, and vehicle availability. The policy’s success will depend on effective implementation, adequate supply of electric vehicles, and the willingness of dealers and manufacturers to invest in the transition. For Delhi residents, the policy offers significant incentives to make the switch to electric. For the rest of India, it provides a template for how cities can accelerate the EV transition.
