Electric two-wheelers, private EV cars record highest registrations since 2019 in Delhi

New Delhi: Electric two-wheelers and private electric cars recorded their highest registrations in Delhi since 2019 in the January-May period this year, while the same for e-rickshaws fell to their lowest level in the seven-year period, according to data compiled by Envirocatalysts, a research and advisory think tank.

The data showed that electric two-wheelers remained the dominant segment in Delhi’s EV market, accounting for 51.9 per cent of all electric vehicle registrations during the first five months of this year.

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Private electric four-wheelers followed with a 24.3 per cent share, while electric three-wheelers accounted for 12.3 per cent.

E-rickshaws made up 4.8 per cent of registrations, electric commercial passenger four-wheelers 2.7 per cent and electric buses 2.1 per cent.

According to the data, electric two-wheeler registrations rose to 20,239 in January-May this year from 11,939 in the corresponding period last year, an increase of nearly 70 per cent.

The figures are the highest recorded since 2019, when only 533 electric two-wheelers were registered during the same period.

Registrations stood at 379 in 2020, 1,209 in 2021, 12,220 in 2022, 17,573 in 2023, 15,611 in 2024 and 11,939 in 2025 before jumping to 20,239 this year.

Private electric four-wheelers also witnessed strong growth, with registrations rising to 9,471 in January-May 2026 from 4,832 in the year-ago period, an increase of nearly 96 per cent.

The segment accounted for 24.3 per cent of all EV registrations during the period.

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The registrations were the highest since 2019, when only 76 private electric cars were registered. The figures stood at 17 in 2020, 433 in 2021, 981 in 2022, 2,394 in 2023, 2,497 in 2024 and 4,832 in 2025 before reaching 9,471 this year.

In contrast, e-rickshaw registrations plunged to 1,887 in January-May 2026 from 25,643 in the corresponding period last year, marking a decline of 93 per cent. The category accounted for just 4.8 per cent of EV registrations this year.

The decline is significant as 2025 recorded the highest e-rickshaw registrations since 2019. Registrations stood at 7,680 in 2019, 5,101 in 2020, 4,440 in 2021, 5,371 in 2022, 7,214 in 2023 and 9,747 in 2024 before surging to 25,643 in 2025 and dropping sharply to 1,887 in 2026.

Electric commercial passenger four-wheelers, comprising app-based cabs and taxis, registered one of the fastest growth rates among EVs, as registrations increased to 1,068 during January-May 2026 from 302 in the year-ago period, a rise of 254 per cent.

The category accounted for 2.7 per cent of overall EV registrations.

Electric bus registrations rose to 858 in the first five months of 2026 from 540 in the corresponding period last year, an increase of 59 per cent. The segment made up for 2.1 per cent of total EV registrations.

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Electric bus registrations stood at 186 in 2022, 125 in 2023, 307 in 2024 and 540 in 2025 before rising to 858 in 2026, the data showed.

Despite the growth in EV adoption, petrol-powered vehicles remained the dominant category in Delhi’s overall vehicle market.

More than 2.58 lakh petrol vehicles were registered during January-May 2026, making petrol the most-used fuel type among newly registered vehicles in the capital.

The Delhi government is expected to announce its Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0 shortly. According to the draft policy, no new CNG autorickshaw registrations will be allowed from August 15, while the existing CNG auto permits will not be renewed and instead be substituted or re-issued as permits for electric autorickshaws.

The draft policy also recommends phasing out fossil fuel-powered vehicles used for solid waste management and transitioning city bus fleets towards cleaner alternatives.

In another significant proposal, it recommends that registration of new petrol, diesel and CNG-powered two-wheelers be discontinued from August 15. It also proposes ending registrations of petrol, diesel and CNG-powered goods-carrying three-wheelers as part of Delhi’s push towards cleaner mobility.

“Delhi’s new EV policy is a bold move signalling the end of the road for polluting fossil-fuel vehicles. While actions following regulatory interventions like GRAP and age-based bans in Delhi-NCR are successfully accelerating EV adoption, cleaning up the transport sector is only part of the solution,” Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at Envirocatalysts, said.

Underlining that the existing pollution levels across Delhi-NCR remain critically high, he said, “Achieving truly breathable air requires looking beyond private EVs; we must aggressively scale up public and non-motorised transit, alongside strict emission controls across industries, power plants, waste management and construction.