CNG Price Hike 2026: Cost per km for Autos and Mini Trucks

The latest CNG price hike has taken Delhi's rate to ₹86.98 per kg. Since January it has gone up by almost ₹10, so a CNG auto now costs about 37 paise more for every kilometre. On a CNG mini truck it's closer to 46 paise. As a result, the small truck's fuel saving over diesel has nearly disappeared.

So we worked out what that means per km and per month, and what you can realistically do about it.

How the CNG price hike built up in 2026

It didn't happen in one go, though. Indraprastha Gas (IGL) first raised Delhi's price by ₹6 in May, taking it from ₹77.09 to ₹83.09. Then it added another ₹3.89 on 29 August. Mumbai followed on 1 September, when Mahanagar Gas added ₹2 and took the rate to ₹88 per kg. IGL blamed costlier imported LNG, because the West Asia crisis has disrupted gas cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Still, Delhi isn't the worst hit. On 31 August, for example, Kolkata's CNG cost ₹99.50 a kg, according to Business Today's city list.

Prices, EMIs, subsidies and permit rules vary by state and change frequently. Verify with your dealer, lender or RTO before you buy.

Cost per km after the CNG price hike

The maths is simple, because you just divide the price per kg by the mileage. For mileage, we used what the makers claim. Bajaj, for example, says its RE CNG auto does about 27 km per kg. Meanwhile, Tata lists its 660 kg-payload Ace Gold CNG at 21.4 km per kg. However, few drivers get the brochure figure with a full load in city traffic, so treat these as best-case numbers.

CNG price	RE CNG auto (₹/km)	Ace Gold CNG (₹/km)
Delhi, January (₹77.09)	2.86	3.60
Delhi, now (₹86.98)	3.22	4.06
Mumbai, now (₹88.00)	3.26	4.11
Kolkata, now (₹99.50)	3.69	4.65

So what does that do to a month's gas bill? Take an auto that covers 3,000 km, which is about 115 km a day for 26 days. In January it used roughly ₹8,570 of CNG, whereas now it's about ₹9,660. That's ₹1,100 more. Similarly, a mini truck doing 2,500 km a month pays about ₹1,150 extra. And that's before a single rupee of maintenance, so it comes straight out of the owner's take-home.

CNG vs diesel vs electric now

This is the part that matters if you're about to buy. Diesel in Delhi has sat at ₹95.20 a litre all September. So at the Ace Gold diesel's claimed 22 km a litre, it costs ₹4.33 per km. The CNG Ace, at ₹4.06, is therefore only 27 paise cheaper. Over 2,500 km that's around ₹650 a month, which is a thin reason to pick CNG on fuel alone.

Electric, on the other hand, looks very different. Tata's Ace EV has a 21.3 kWh battery and a certified range of about 154–161 km. That works out to roughly 0.14 kWh per km on the test cycle, so your cost depends mostly on where you plug in:

Ace EV charging (example tariff)	Fuel cost (₹/km)
Depot, ₹8/kWh	1.10
Mixed, ₹12/kWh	1.65
Public fast charger, ₹18/kWh	2.47

Those tariffs are only examples, so check your own. Also, fuel isn't the whole story. For instance, the diesel Ace carries 900 kg against the CNG version's 660 kg, while the three trucks differ a lot on price and range too.

Prices, EMIs, subsidies and permit rules vary by state and change frequently. Verify with your dealer, lender or RTO before you buy.

How to absorb the CNG price hike

Firstly, look hard at your rates. If you signed a fixed freight contract when gas was ₹77, you're now carrying the difference yourself. So a 40-odd paise per km increase is a fair basis for renegotiating. App-based auto drivers have less room, but daily-rental owners can revisit the rent.

Secondly, get the basics right on the vehicle. A clogged air filter, tired spark plugs or soft tyres all eat into km per kg, although on a CNG engine they're cheap to fix.

Thirdly, cut empty running, because an empty return trip burns as much gas as a loaded one. Load-matching apps and pooling with other transporters can therefore win some of it back.

Finally, if you're replacing a vehicle anyway, price an electric one properly. When a truck or auto comes home every night and does under 120 km a day, the fuel gap is now too big to ignore.

What this means for buyers

If you already run CNG vehicles in Delhi, budget ₹1,100–1,200 more a month per vehicle, and then build that into your pricing. If you're buying a mini truck, however, don't assume CNG is the cheap option any more. Since the saving over diesel is down to 27 paise a km, compare on-road price, payload and resale as well.

That said, there's one thing the CNG price hike doesn't change. CNG goods vehicles can still enter Delhi whatever their emission norm, while BS-IV trucks from outside Delhi lose entry on 1 November. Meanwhile, if your routes are short and fixed, read our guide to electric truck prices and the PM E-DRIVE incentive before you sign for anything.

FAQs on the CNG price hike

What is the CNG price in Delhi today?

It's ₹86.98 per kg, after IGL's ₹3.89 increase on 29 August 2026.

How big has the CNG price hike been in 2026?

In Delhi, CNG went from ₹77.09 a kg in January to ₹86.98 now, so the total increase is ₹9.89.

Is a CNG mini truck still cheaper to run than diesel?

Only just. On claimed mileage, the Ace Gold CNG costs about ₹4.06 per km in Delhi, while the diesel costs ₹4.33, so the gap is about 27 paise.

What does a CNG auto cost to run per km?

It's about ₹3.22 per km in Delhi at the Bajaj RE CNG's claimed 27 km per kg, but that's before maintenance, insurance and permit costs.