TPMS in Indian cars: what the rules say and who fits it

Tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are being adopted more widely on Indian cars, Hyundai Motor India says, but the law still does not require one. Six years after the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways wrote a TPMS specification into the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, the system remains optional: the rules say how it must work if a car has one, not that every car must. What the 2020 change did do was give car makers a reason to fit it, by allowing a car with a TPMS and a tyre repair kit to do without a spare wheel. We found no later notification making TPMS compulsory on all new cars as of 25 October 2026.

What the 2020 rules say

The ministry’s amendment, G.S.R. 457(E) dated 20 July 2020, did three things that matter to tyres, according to the government’s announcement two days later:

• It set out a specification for TPMS on vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, a system that monitors tyre pressure, or changes in it, while the vehicle is moving and passes that information to the driver, which applies if the system is fitted.
• It prescribed a tyre repair kit for punctures in tubeless tyres, in which sealant pumped in with air closes the hole in the tread.
• It removed the requirement for an additional tyre on vehicles that have both the repair kit and TPMS. The ministry said this followed international standards and would free space, for example for electric vehicle batteries.

The standard behind it

India’s technical standard for these systems is AIS-154. TÜV Rheinland, which tracks vehicle regulations, describes it as aligned with UN Regulation 141 and applying to passenger cars up to 3.5 tonnes and light goods vehicles when they are equipped with TPMS. The main difference it notes is the test temperature range: 0 to 50 °C in India, against 0 to 40 °C in the UN rule.

UN Regulation 141 sets the warning threshold. For cars, the TPMS must warn the driver within 10 minutes of cumulative driving at 40 km/h or more once a tyre has lost 20% of its operating pressure, or fallen to 150 kPa, whichever is higher. A slower loss across the tyres must trigger the warning within 60 minutes, and the system must also be able to signal its own faults.

How India compares

Elsewhere the system is compulsory. Michelin notes that TPMS has been mandatory on new cars in Europe since 1 November 2014 and in the United States since 2007.

Who fits it in India

Fitment is decided model by model and often variant by variant. Hyundai Motor India says TPMS is standard on many of its new models and describes its adoption as increasing for safety in India, without suggesting it is compulsory. At the premium end, BMW India’s specification sheet for the 3 Series Gran Limousine lists a tyre pressure indicator as standard, alongside run flat tyres.

Tyre makers are also building sensing into the tyre itself. In November 2025 JK Tyre launched what it described as India’s first passenger car tyres with embedded sensors, made at its Banmore plant in Madhya Pradesh in sizes from 14 to 17 inches, which track air pressure, temperature and leaks. It presented them as a step on from the TPMS-based SMART tyre technology it first offered in 2019.

What it means for drivers

If you are buying a new car, check whether the variant you want has TPMS, especially if it comes with a repair kit rather than a spare. If your car has it, the warning is a safety net that comes on only after a large pressure loss, so monthly checks with a gauge still matter. Our guides explain how TPMS works and how to check tyre pressure, and the tyre pressure lookup lists makers’ recommended pressures.