The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced seven new vehicle safety rules for car buyers in India, to be introduced in phases over the coming years. The draft notification, issued on October 19, 2026, proposes changes that range from automatic emergency braking in new cars to a flight-style black box that records data around a crash.
The announcement drew wide public attention, with the topic crossing the 100,000-search mark on Google Trends India on October 22. Regional outlets including Gujarat Samachar, GSTV and VTV Gujarati reported the decision, with GSTV describing it as a major government move to reduce road accidents.
Automatic braking heads the list of new vehicle safety rules
The headline measure requires new car models to be fitted with advanced emergency braking systems, or AEBS, from October 1, 2030. Models already in production before that date will get more time, with the requirement extending to all models from October 1, 2032. Every system fitted must conform to Automotive Industry Standard 185, the national technical standard for such equipment.
An advanced emergency braking system watches the road ahead and applies the brakes on its own when the driver does not react to a possible collision in time. Under the vehicle safety rules, cars and light goods vehicles built on or after October 1, 2028 that already carry such a system must also meet the AIS-185 standard, closing a gap for early adopters of the technology.
A black box for every car under the new vehicle safety rules
From October 1, 2029, cars will carry an event data recorder, the automotive equivalent of an airplane’s black box. The device captures technical and safety data before, during and after a collision, giving investigators a clear record of speed, braking and other inputs in the seconds around a crash. It is one of the most widely discussed of the new vehicle safety rules.
The same package mandates immobilisers for M1-category vehicles, the category that covers passenger cars with seating for up to nine people, as a guard against theft. It also requires changes to the arrangement and operation of foot controls in new models built from April 1, 2028, a step meant to bring Indian cars in line with international norms and the shift to electric vehicles. From October 1, 2032, manufacturers must use the Flexible Pedestrian Leg Impactor test to assess how well a vehicle protects pedestrians and other vulnerable road users in a collision.
Phased rollout of the new vehicle safety rules
The changes are proposed as amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The draft was notified this week and will be taken up for finalisation once the copies published in the Gazette of India have been available to the public for thirty days.
The phased design of the vehicle safety rules gives manufacturers lead time to rework their line-ups. Alongside the car measures, the government has set earlier deadlines for heavier vehicles, with a revised braking standard and electronic stability control systems taking effect for trucks from October 1, 2027.
The Times of India has reported that further driver assistance features, with attention on taxis, are also under consideration, though these do not form part of the current draft notification.
What the change means for buyers and carmakers
For buyers, the vehicle safety rules mean cars sold in India will gradually carry more crash-avoidance technology as standard. Carmakers face a fixed timetable to fit the systems across their ranges, beginning with new models and extending to existing ones by 2032.
The vehicle safety rules arrive against a grim road safety record. Ministry data for 2024 put road deaths in India at more than 177,000, a rise of 2.3 per cent over the previous year, working out to about 485 deaths a day. India records the highest annual road fatalities in the world.
The draft rules will be taken up for finalisation after the thirty-day public consultation period ends.