The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has tightened safety norms for electric vehicles by making acoustic vehicle warning systems (AVAS) mandatory across a wide range of EVs. According to the new draft notification, new private and commercial electric vehicles will be required to be equipped with AVAS from October 1, 2026, while existing models will have time till October 1, 2027 to comply with the requirement.The updated rules now also include e-rickshaws and e-carts. In regulatory terms, MoRTH has added L5 and L7 vehicle categories to the earlier mandate, which included M and N category vehicles. The move aims to improve pedestrian safety, especially in urban areas, where the near-silent operation of electric vehicles has raised concerns about accidents caused by unaware road users.MoRTH has put the draft notification in the public domain and invited feedback and suggestions within 30 days. Once finalized, the regulation will apply to all new EVs sold in the country by the October 2026 deadline, while manufacturers of existing models will have to retrofit the system by October 2027.
What is AVAS?
The Acoustic Vehicle Warning System is a safety feature specifically designed for electric and hybrid vehicles. Since EVs produce very little noise at low speeds, AVAS use external speakers to produce artificial sounds that alert pedestrians and motorists to the vehicle’s presence. The sound generally varies with speed and is particularly active during low-speed driving and when reversing, when the risk of accidents is higher.In terms of vehicle categories, the M category includes electric passenger vehicles such as cars and buses, while the N category includes electric trucks and goods carriers. The newly added L5 category refers to three-wheelers, which include passenger and cargo auto-rickshaws, while L7 includes heavy quadricycles, which are often used for utility or cargo purposes.
(tags to translate)MORTH AVAS Regulations
