Short answer: carry a valid LMV licence, make sure every passenger wears a seatbelt including those in the back, keep your phone out of your hand, stop behind the stop line at red lights and follow the posted speed limits, because Delhi enforces much of this by camera. BS-VI rental cars are not affected by the older-vehicle bans under GRAP, the city's pollution action plan. Traffic offences fall under the Motor Vehicles Act, which was amended in 2019 with much heavier penalties.
Documents you must be able to show
If police stop you, you may be asked for your driving licence and the car's registration certificate, insurance and PUC certificate. DigiLocker and mParivahan versions of your licence are legally valid. The car's papers should be in the glovebox; check them at pickup using our documents checklist.
GRAP and pollution restrictions
Mostly between October and February, Delhi's air quality often turns poor, and the authorities apply the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in stages as pollution worsens. Early stages focus on measures like dust control and stricter checks on polluting vehicles. At the higher stages, restrictions reach older private cars: BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars can be barred from Delhi's roads.
BS-VI cars are not covered by those restrictions. The Self Drive Delhi fleet is BS-VI, so a GRAP announcement doesn't stop you driving our cars. Even so, follow the news during severe pollution episodes:
- Odd-even has been used occasionally in the past as an emergency measure. It works on the last digit of the number plate, not on the emission standard, and the exemptions have changed each time, so if it is ever announced again, check the current rules before driving.
- PUC checks get stricter. The car should come with a valid certificate; photograph it at pickup.
- Visibility drops on smoggy mornings, so drive on low beam with extra following distance.
Seatbelts, phones and drink-driving
- Seatbelts are compulsory for every occupant, including rear-seat passengers. Young children are far safer in a proper child seat, so bring your own or ask whether one is available when you book.
- Holding a phone while driving is an offence. Mount it for navigation and set the route before you move.
- Drink-driving is a serious offence, with heavy fines, possible jail and licence suspension. Breath-test checkpoints are common at night and on weekends. It also typically voids damage cover under rental terms. If you plan to drink, take a cab and collect the car the next day.
Cameras, red lights and lanes
Delhi has cameras at many intersections and along major roads that catch red-light jumping, stop-line violations, overspeeding and some lane offences. A few habits keep you clean:
- Stop before the stop line, not on or past the zebra crossing.
- Follow the posted speed limits, which change from stretch to stretch. Arterial roads and expressways often have speed cameras, and limits can drop near junctions, schools and flyovers.
- Stay in lane, use indicators and avoid weaving. Some roads have marked bus lanes; keep out of them where signs say so.
- Don't block junctions or pedestrian crossings when traffic is backed up.
- Give way to ambulances and fire engines.
- Avoid the horn in silence zones near hospitals and schools.
How e-challans work with a rental car
Camera challans are issued against the car's registration number, not against you personally. The rental company receives them, matches the date and time to your booking and passes the amount on, usually by deducting it from your deposit or asking you to pay it directly. Some operators add an admin fee. Because challans can take days or weeks to show up, part of a deposit may be held after the trip; our deposit guide explains how this works.
You can check pending challans for any vehicle number on the Parivahan e-challan portal. It is worth checking the car's number at pickup, so older challans from previous renters are never confused with yours.
FASTag and tolls
FASTag is mandatory at national highway toll plazas. Vehicles without a working tag, or without enough balance, pay a much higher fee. Rental cars come with a tag, but check the sticker is on the windscreen and ask how the balance and toll charges are handled before you head out of the city.
Parking in Delhi
Parking is where many visitors get caught out. Use authorised parking: MCD and NDMC run paid lots across the city, and most malls and many markets have their own. Park in a no-parking zone, on a footpath or across a gate and the car can be challaned or towed, which means a fine plus a trip to the towing pit to get it back.
- Keep the parking slip. It is your proof the car was legally parked.
- Busy areas such as Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar fill up early on weekends.
- Parts of Chandni Chowk are closed to cars during the day, so park outside the old city and walk or take the Metro.
- Note where you parked. Large multi-level lots look alike.
Crossing into Noida, Gurugram and beyond
Delhi NCR spans Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, and you will cross borders without noticing. The same Motor Vehicles Act applies everywhere, but Noida and Gurugram have their own traffic police and cameras, and their challans also reach the car's owner.
- Some routes in and out of Delhi have toll plazas, paid through FASTag.
- Commercial-plate vehicles can be charged an entry fee when coming into Delhi, depending on the type of vehicle and where it is registered. Ask whether this applies to your car and how it is billed.
- Expressways such as the Yamuna Expressway towards Agra have strictly enforced speed limits.
- Dense fog in December and January makes highways out of Delhi dangerous in the early morning. Our hill and fog driving tips cover what to do.
We deliver across the region, including Noida and Gurugram, so you can start from whichever side of the border suits your trip.