EVs make up 7% of new light goods vehicles sold in Delhi: CAQM

In 2025, electric vehicles made up 7% of new light goods vehicles in Delhi, signaling a shift to cleaner transport as fossil-fuel bans begin in 2027.

New DelhiElectric vehicles accounted for around 7% of the new N1-category light goods vehicles registered in Delhi in 2025, according to data shared by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

EVs make up 7% of new light goods vehicles sold in Delhi: CAQM

The numbers indicate a shift towards cleaner commercial transport as the city prepares to make electric vehicles mandatory in the segment from next year,

Of the total 14,712 new N1 light goods vehicles sold in Delhi during 2025, 1,026 were electric, while 13,646 ran on compressed natural gas (CNG), the data showed. Only 35 diesel-powered and four petrol-powered N1 vehicles were sold during the year.

N1 vehicles are light goods carriers with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3,500kg and are used for commercial deliveries and transportation within cities. CAQM officials said the increase in electric vehicle registrations showed that the transition towards cleaner technologies in the commercial transport sector had already begun.

The active N1 fleet in Delhi stood at about 106,000 vehicles at the end of 2025. Of these, around 1,980 were electric vehicles and nearly 103,000 were CNG vehicles, according to the commission.

CAQM member secretary Tarun Kumar Pithode said the growing share of EVs among new N1 registrations, coupled with very low diesel sales, shows that cleaner commercial mobility was gaining ground. The commission has said the transition is aimed not only at reducing direct vehicular emissions but also at cutting nitrogen oxides and secondary particulate pollution linked to transport.

“The category forms just about 1-2% of registered vehicles in Delhi but leads to high levels of secondary particulate matter and NOX. It is just one part of our multi-pronged effort at controlling pollution in Delhi NCR,” said Pithode.

The data comes as CAQM moves to phase out new fossil-fuel-powered light goods vehicles in Delhi and other high-vehicle-density areas of the National Capital Region. From January 1, 2027, Delhi will allow registration of only electric N1 light goods vehicles.

The restriction will subsequently be extended to Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar from July 1, 2027. In the remaining NCR districts, restrictions on registration of new petrol and diesel N1 vehicles will come into effect from January 1, 2028. Electric and CNG vehicles will continue to be permitted in those areas.

The transition is part of CAQM’s broader strategy to reduce vehicular emissions in Delhi-NCR. The commission has also announced a phased shift towards cleaner technologies for heavier N2-category goods vehicles.

However, the electrification of heavier commercial vehicles remains at an early stage. CAQM data showed that not a single electric N2 light goods vehicle was sold in Delhi or the identified high-vehicle-density districts of NCR during 2025.