Delhi’s recent fuel ban on old diesel and petrol vehicles has turned the city’s second-hand car market on its head, flooding it with resale offers and crashing prices. The ban, which took effect on July 1, targets “end-of-life” vehicles — diesel cars older than 10 years and petrol ones older than 15 years with expired fitness certificates. These vehicles are now automatically deregistered and legally cannot be sold or transferred, leaving scrapping as the only official option.
In the three days following the ban’s implementation, dealers across Delhi saw a significant rise in buyer interest — particularly from outside Delhi. Used car marketplaces like Spinny reported a 25% jump in leads, while small dealerships experienced even sharper spikes.
“Normally, we get three to four inquiries daily, but during the initial days of the ban, we received nearly 50 calls a day,” said Amit Malhotra of United Cars India, CR Park. “Most buyers were calling from South India, hoping to snap up discounted vehicles.”
Also Read: Vintage Cars Get a Free Pass Amid Delhi-NCR’s 10/15-Year Vehicle Ban
Amid this chaos, Delhi’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa urged the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to reconsider the directive. Citing enforcement difficulties, Sirsa requested a temporary suspension of the ban, promising to address air quality concerns in parallel.
The fallout has been immediate. The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) estimated a 40–50% drop in the price of second-hand vehicles, affecting nearly 60 lakh registered vehicles in Delhi.
“In just five days, the used car market has collapsed,” said CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal. “Dealers are being forced to sell cars at one-fourth their actual price.”
Online used car platform CARS24 echoed this concern, noting that once a vehicle is deregistered, its resale is not legally viable. “Even informal resale is risky,” said CEO Vikram Chopra. “If an accident occurs, the original owner is still held liable.”
CARS24, which partners with authorised scrapping centres, now encourages users to get instant scrap estimates for de-registered vehicles.
As the government weighs possible relaxations or technical solutions, car owners and dealers are navigating a volatile market. For many, what once was a valuable asset has turned into a liability overnight.
(This story is sourced from a third-party syndicated feed. Raavi Media takes no responsibility or liability of any nature. Raavi Media management/ythisnews.com can alter or delete the content without notice for any reason.)