BS4 vs BS6: Should You Buy A Car Now?

Delhi/NCR is the only region where petrol pumps currently dispense BS6 fuel. There has been no spike in fuel prices in the capital to suggest that BS6 fuel is costlier. According to our sources, the prices have been kept in check by the government and may increase once we are past the April 1, 2020, deadline and BS6 fuel becomes readily available across the country.

The price increase may become necessary because of the huge investments that petrochemical companies have had to make to upgrade their refineries for producing cleaner BS6 fuel. 

Q.6 What will be the average price hike on vehicles converted from BS4 to BS6?

Going from BS4 to BS6, the prices of petrol vehicles will be hiked by Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. The price increase in case of diesel cars will be higher, ranging from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh! Maruti recently launched the BS6 versions of the petrol Swift and Ertiga and their prices were hiked by Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively.

Q.7 Should you buy a BS4 car now or wait till February or March 2020 for discounts from manufacturers looking to clear stocks?

Buying a BS4 car makes a lot of sense if you don’t want to pay extra for the same car with a BS6 engine later. Carmakers have already begun offering attractive festive season offers and year-end deals will also come into play soon. By January 2020, carmakers would look to clear most of their BS4 inventory leaving little scope for discounts on them.

However, if the environment holds a bigger priority in life (just as it should) and you can afford to pay extra for a BS6 car, we suggest waiting for the BS6 model of your favourite car. 

Q.8 Can you convert an old car to meet BS6 emissions on your own?

You technically can, given enough time, money and expertise but we absolutely would advise against even attempting it. Also, it’s illegal.

Q.9 What’s AdBlue?How does it help with emission norms?

AdBlue is a chemical solution made of urea and deionized water. It’s used by some carmakers in their BS6 engines to treat exhaust gases and reduce the NOx particles in them. It is predominantly found in diesel vehicles as they emit more NOx than petrol engines. In India, cars such as the Jeep Compass Trailhawk, Mercedes-Benz V-Class and Mercedes-Benz S-Class use AdBlue to meet emission norms.

Q.10 Where does CNG stand in the BS6 scheme of things?

CNG engines will also undergo changes, but not to the extent of petrol and diesel engines. As CNG is a cleaner fuel than petrol or diesel, manufacturers will not be required to tweak their engines much to accomodate for the step-up to BS6 norms. Once BS6 does come into play, it could become a stop-gap measure for carmakers before the era of hybrid and electric vehicles begins.

Q.11 What’s next after BS6?

As of now, no new emission standards has been set for the post-BS6 era. However, the next change to our emission laws will come in the form of the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) cycle. This will require ARAI to test new cars in real-world conditions, instead of in a controlled environment.

This will require carmakers to be even more stringent with their emissions as the quantity of pollutants in exhaust gases is obviously more in the real world than in a scientifically monitored lab.

RDE could actually be the push that carmakers need to bring hybrid and pure-electric vehicles into the Indian market. This is because the new testing cycle, which is set to come into effect in 2023, will make it extremely difficult for carmakers to make their internal combustion engines comply with emission norms.

Source: cardekho.com