When cars talk to each other: India's plan for vehicle-to-vehicle communication
A draft rule from August 2026 would make vehicle-to-vehicle communication standard on new vehicles from October 2028. It could prevent many crashes, if manufacturers, regulators and road agencies get the details right.
Most crashes begin with something a driver cannot see in time: a car braking hard three vehicles ahead, a truck coming the wrong way around a bend, an ambulance approaching a junction. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication lets cars tell each other these things directly, several times a second.
In August 2026 the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a draft amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules to bring V2V into Indian vehicles. The proposal sets out two stages:
- From 1 October 2027, manufacturers that choose to offer V2V must meet a new standard, AIS-230
- From 1 October 2028, V2V would be mandatory on all newly manufactured two-wheelers, cars and commercial vehicles
The units use cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology in the 5.875 to 5.925 GHz band, which the Department of Telecommunications exempted from licensing in June 2026. The standard covers emergency brake alerts, forward collision warnings, wrong-way driving alerts and emergency vehicle alerts, along with cybersecurity requirements.
Why this matters for India in particular
Indian traffic is mixed and dense: two-wheelers, buses, trucks and cars sharing the same lanes. Camera and radar systems in cars struggle with this. V2V does not depend on line of sight, so a warning can reach a driver who cannot see the hazard at all. Including two-wheelers in the plan is important, because riders are among the most vulnerable road users.
The questions still to answer
Two decades of work worldwide show that the technology is the easy part. The harder questions are these:
- Cost. Earlier estimates put each unit at a few thousand rupees. For a budget two-wheeler that is a large share of the price.
- The first few years. V2V only helps when many vehicles have it. The roads will be mostly unequipped for years; the benefit grows slowly.
- Security and privacy. Every vehicle broadcasting its position and speed creates data that must be protected and cannot be spoofed.
- Roadside links. The full benefit comes when vehicles also talk to signals, toll plazas and highway command centres. That needs road agencies to invest in step with manufacturers.
The draft was opened for public comment. This is the moment for manufacturers, component makers, telecom companies and road agencies to put practical concerns on record. Getting the standard right now is far cheaper than changing it after millions of vehicles are on the road.
Done well, V2V could be one of the most important road-safety measures India takes this decade. It deserves careful attention from everyone involved.