Govt proposes extending PUCC validity for BS6 cars from 1 year to 3 years

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed extending the validity of the Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) for BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) private vehicles up to six years old. As per the draft notification, the PUCC for such vehicles will be valid for three years instead of 1 year. For BS6 cars between six and 10 years old, the certificate would continue to be renewed annually, while vehicles older than 10 years would require a new PUCC every six months, the draft added.

Bharat Stage emission norms are standards instituted by the government to regulate the emission of air pollutants from motor vehicles. India introduced the first phase of BS6 norms in April 2020, followed by the second phase in April 2023, which remains in effect today.

What about BS4 and older cars?

The proposed relaxation is limited to up to six-year-old BS6 cars. As per the notification, owners of BS4 cars will still have to renew their PUCC every six months, and all motor vehicles complying with BS1, BS2 and BS3 emission norms will have to renew their respective certificates every three months.

Bharat Stage emission norms in India so far

India introduced Bharat Stage emission norms in 2000 with the nationwide implementation of BS1 standards while also rolling out BS2 across major cities in a phased manner. BS2 was based on European emission regulations, with the main difference being the test cycle’s top speed – 90kph versus 120kph in Europe. India remained one stage behind Europe until 2010, after which the oil industry couldn’t supply the low-sulphur fuel needed to progress to BS5 before eventually leapfrogging from BS4 to BS6. Europe, meanwhile, moved to BS6 systematically.