India's EVs Must Now Be Heard: AVAS Is the Law
From October 1, 2026, every new electric car, bus and truck model in India must emit a pedestrian warning sound. What AVAS changes - and what comes next.
On October 1, 2026, India's newest vehicle safety rule took effect: every new electric car, bus and truck model approved for sale must now make an artificial sound at low speeds so pedestrians can hear it coming. It is the first finalized rule in a wave of Indian vehicle-tech regulations running through 2029 — and a useful case study in how regulators worldwide are rewriting the rulebook for electric and connected vehicles.
What Just Became Law
The rule is the Central Motor Vehicles (First Amendment) Rules, 2026 — notification G.S.R. 07(E), issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on January 6, 2026, after public consultation that began with a draft in late 2025. It makes an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) compulsory for electrified vehicles in categories M (passenger cars and buses) and N (trucks and goods vehicles):
- New EV models: must have AVAS from October 1, 2026
- Existing EV models already on sale: must comply by October 1, 2027
- Technical standard: sound levels must meet AIS-173 until an equivalent Bureau of Indian Standards specification is notified
- Electric two-wheelers are not covered — the mandate targets four-wheeled vehicles, though a later draft proposed adding L5 three-wheelers and L7 quadricycles
What AVAS Actually Does
An electric motor is nearly silent at walking pace — exactly the speeds where pedestrians, cyclists, children and elderly people share space with vehicles. AVAS uses an external speaker to play an artificial sound that:
- changes with vehicle speed,
- is most active below roughly 20 km/h and while reversing, and
- fades out at higher speeds where tire and wind noise take over.
If you've heard a modern EV hum through a parking lot, you've heard AVAS. India is late to the requirement, not early: the EU mandated it for new EV types in 2019, and the US and Japan have similar rules — meaning global manufacturers already build and tune these systems, which keeps compliance costs low.
The Rest of India's 2026–2029 Rulebook
AVAS is the only one of these rules that is final today, but the drafts show where regulation is heading:
| Rule | Status | Key dates | What it requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVAS (EV sound) | Final (G.S.R. 07(E)) | New models 1 Oct 2026; all models 1 Oct 2027 | Low-speed pedestrian alert sound per AIS-173 |
| Cybersecurity (AIS-189) | Draft (22 Jun 2026) | Level 3 vehicles from 2026–27; all updatable vehicles by 1 Oct 2029 | Certified Cyber Security Management System for the vehicle's whole life |
| Software updates (AIS-190) | Draft (22 Jun 2026) | OTA-capable vehicles phased from 2028 | Audited, managed over-the-air update processes |
| V2V communication (AIS-230) | Draft (Aug 2026) | Voluntary 1 Oct 2027; mandatory 1 Oct 2028 | Factory C-V2X units on new two-wheelers, cars and commercial vehicles |
The V2V draft is arguably the most ambitious: vehicles would broadcast speed, position and braking data in the 5.875–5.925 GHz band (made licence-exempt in June 2026), enabling emergency-brake alerts, forward-collision warnings, wrong-way driving alerts and emergency-vehicle warnings — including between cars and motorcycles. The cybersecurity and software-update rules mirror UN Regulations R155 and R156 already used in the EU, Japan and South Korea.
Why This Matters Beyond India
Three takeaways for owners, fleets and workshops anywhere:
- Sound is now standard equipment. If you're buying a new EV in India, AVAS is no longer an option box — and if you're importing or exporting vehicles, AIS-173 compliance joins the homologation checklist.
- Regulation is shifting from hardware to lifecycle. The cybersecurity draft doesn't just require a secure car at delivery; it requires managing hacking risk for the vehicle's entire life. Fleets should expect manufacturers to bake those costs — and OTA update obligations — into service contracts.
- Two-wheelers are the next frontier. Excluded from AVAS today but included in the V2V draft for 2028, motorcycles and scooters are being pulled into the connected-vehicle framework — significant for the world's largest two-wheeler market.
FAQ
Does my current EV need an AVAS retrofit?
No — the obligation falls on manufacturers. Existing models must comply by October 1, 2027 at the production level; already-sold private vehicles are not required to retrofit.
Do electric scooters and motorcycles need AVAS?
Not under the current final rule, which covers categories M and N. A later draft proposed adding L5 three-wheelers and L7 quadricycles, and rider groups are pushing for wider coverage — but nothing is in force for two-wheelers.
Is India the first country to mandate AVAS?
No — the EU required it for new EV types from July 2019, and the US and Japan have equivalent rules. India's move aligns its largest-volume market with that global practice.
When will V2V communication be mandatory in India?
Under the August 2026 draft: any V2V unit fitted must meet AIS-230 from October 1, 2027, and V2V becomes mandatory on newly made L, M and N category vehicles from October 1, 2028. It's still a proposal and could change.
Sources
- Times of India — MoRTH makes AVAS mandatory for these EVs: Dates, tech explained: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/auto/electric-cars/morth-makes-avas-mandatory-for-these-evs-dates-tech-explained/articleshow/126413685.cms
- Autofy — New Vehicle Rules From October 2026: EV Sound Alerts, Car Cybersecurity and What Changes Next: https://autofystore.com/blogs/featured-blogs/new-vehicle-rules-october-2026-india-ev-sound-alert-v2v
- Fact.MR — Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System Market Report: https://www.factmr.com/report/acoustic-vehicle-alerting-system-market
- Usthadian Academy — Sound Alerts to Become Mandatory in Electric Vehicles: https://www.usthadian.com/sound-alerts-to-become-mandatory-in-electric-vehicles-from-2027/