ABS Mandate: A Safety Feature Only On Paper?

Updated: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 10:39 [IST]

In recent years, the Government of India is implementing various mandates boost road safety. Now, according to Times of India, the Indian government has announced that all new two-wheelers sold in the country from January 1, 2026 must come equipped with Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS), regardless of engine size.

Until now, ABS was only mandatory for bikes with engines above 125cc. This new regulation, approved by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, aims to significantly reduce braking-related accidents and fatalities on Indian roads, where two-wheelers account for over 40% of total road deaths.

In addition, dealerships will be required to provide two ISI-certified helmets-one for the rider and one for the pillion-with every new two-wheeler purchase. This step addresses the common issue of pillion riders being unprotected and seeks to improve helmet usage across the board.

ABS - Price Hike Imminent

As manufacturers add more features and tech, the price of the product will also increase. As such, the addition of ABS will result in the price hike of two-wheelers in India.

Since two-wheeler manufacturers will be adding a single-channel ABS to comply with the latest rules, we expect all two-wheelers to receive a price hike of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000.

ABS - A Safety Feature Only On Paper?

As we know, an average Joe in India is highly unlikely to use the full potential of the front brakes in two-wheelers. In fact, many people are scared of using front brakes, especially if the bike features a disc brake setup.

In such a scenario, mandating ABS will not be of much use in day-to-day life. However, we are not saying that the single-channel ABS is not useful, but the safety net and practicality provided by dual-channel ABS is far superior and better suited to the Indian riding style.

Dual-Channel ABS - A Missed Opportunity

As mentioned, a dual-channel ABS setup is not only superior compared to a single-channel ABS setup, but it is also better suited to the riding style of the majority of bike and scooter users in India. So, mandating dual-channel ABS in two-wheelers could have provided far better safety and would have helped in drastically reducing road accidents in the country.

However, equipping a two-wheeler with dual-channel ABS would further hike the price of entry-level bikes. This could negatively impact the overall sales of two-wheelers in India.

Two-Wheeler Sales Likely To Be Affected

Since the top and base variants in entry-level two-wheelers are usually separated by the addition of a disc brake setup, we expect automobile manufacturers to struggle with the differentiation of base and top variants as both models will feature ABS setup.

As such, the price hike on base models of two-wheelers after the introduction of the ABS mandate is likely to reduce overall sales of entry-level two-wheelers in India.

DriveSpark Thinks

The latest ABS mandate is a step in the right direction, but it is a missed opportunity by the government to mandate dual-channel ABS, as it could significantly reduce the chances of road accidents in India.