The government is making cyber security and software updates mandatory for connected vehicles. For this, a draft of changes in motor vehicle rules has been issued. These rules will implement AIS-189 and AIS-190 standards in a phased manner from October 2026.
New Delhi: Now your car is going to be more secure in the country, especially if it is connected to the internet. The central government is preparing to make cyber security and software updates mandatory for connected vehicles. For this, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued a draft notification for changes in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The Ministry has said that opinions and suggestions have been sought from the common people on this draft within 30 days. After this the final notification will be issued.
What are the new rules?
According to the draft, Rule 125-T is related to cyber security of vehicles. After its implementation, vehicles will have to follow India’s AIS-189 cyber security standard. At the same time, Rule 125-U is related to software update management, which will make AIS-190 standard mandatory. Later, when the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) issues its standards on these matters, they will come into force.
These cyber security rules will apply to passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, tractors with at least one electronic control unit (ECU) and quadricycles with Level 3 or above automated driving systems. The software update rules are proposed to be applicable to passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers also.
When will the rules come into effect?
The government will not implement these rules all at once, rather they will be implemented in phases i.e. instalments.
- These rules will be applicable from October 2026 for new model vehicles with automated driving systems of Level 3 or above.
- This will be mandatory for existing models of this category from April 2027.
- For vehicles which can take software updates over-the-air (OTA) i.e. directly from the internet, these rules will be implemented between April 2028 and October 2028.
- These rules will become mandatory for all other vehicles with software update facility from October 2029.
Through these new rules, the government aims to strengthen the digital security of vehicles and bring India at par with international standards. Countries like the European Union, Japan and South Korea have already made cyber security and software update management of vehicles mandatory. These countries follow the UN vehicle rules, and India is now moving in the same direction.