Delhi tops India Electric Mobility Index 2025 with 84 points
Delhi has topped the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025, released by NITI Aayog in partnership with WRI India, scoring 84 points out of 100. Maharashtra followed with 78, Karnataka 73, Chandigarh 71 and Goa 65. The second edition assessed all 36 states and union territories on 16 indicators covering electric vehicle adoption, charging readiness and research and innovation. The national median score rose from 36 to 40. Madhya Pradesh improved from rank 23 to 7.
Source
NITI Aayog · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- Delhi tops IEMI 2025 with 84 points out of 100, followed by Maharashtra (78) and Karnataka (73). — Figures appear in the source and match its ranking table; attributed to the NITI Aayog-WRI India index.
- The index, second edition, covers all 36 states and UTs using 16 indicators across three themes with 50/30/20 weightage. — Stated in the source with a methodology table; no independent verification possible.
- National median score rose from 36 in 2024 to 40 in 2025, and the best score from 77 to 84. — Figures appear in the source; attributed to the index.
- Madhya Pradesh recorded the biggest rank rise, from 23 to 7; Manipur topped hilly and northeastern states with 46 points. — Both figures appear in the source; the source also cautions rankings may not be directly comparable across editions.
- 26 of 36 states and UTs have EV policies in 2025. — Stated in the source as index data; no separate source given.
Analysts’ view opinion
The IEMI 2025 ranking is a technical index, but politically it is the kind of number that quickly becomes a scorecard on governance. Delhi topping the list with 84 points, with Maharashtra and Karnataka next, means the front rank is shared across states run by different parties — which leaves little room for a one-sided political narrative. The big movers, such as Madhya Pradesh jumping from 23rd to 7th, are exactly the figures likely to surface on campaign platforms.
- Because the index comes from NITI Aayog in partnership with WRI India, state governments that score well are likely to project it as independent validation of their administration.
- The top five — Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chandigarh and Goa — span very different political settings, weakening any claim that a single party owns the credit.
- The rise in the national median score from 36 to 40 suggests improvement is broad-based, meaning even states that slipped in rank can argue they improved in absolute terms.
- Sharp climbs by Madhya Pradesh (23 to 7), Goa and Puducherry (10 places each) and Bihar (eight places) hand those governments an immediate talking point, particularly where elections are on the horizon.
- The mismatch flagged in the story — Haryana at 91 on charging readiness but 19 on transport electrification, Uttar Pradesh the reverse — gives opposition parties material for two different critiques: infrastructure without uptake, or uptake without infrastructure.
What to watch — Watch for chief ministers and transport ministers in the higher-ranked states citing these scores as proof of delivery, and for lower-ranked states accelerating EV policy announcements in response.
The story itself notes that rankings are not directly comparable because of peer groupings, added data points and new normalisation, and it does not establish which party or government deserves credit for these scores, or whether they move voters at all.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 2 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
The India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) is a composite ranking developed jointly by NITI Aayog and WRI India to assess how effectively state and union territory governments are driving the shift to electric mobility. Its second edition, IEMI 2025, evaluates all 36 states and UTs on 16 indicators grouped under three themes — transport electrification, charging readiness, and research and innovation. Delhi has topped the 2025 index with 84 out of 100, ahead of Maharashtra and Karnataka, while the national median score has risen from 36 in 2024 to 40 in 2025.
Key facts
- Delhi topped IEMI 2025 with 84 points out of 100, followed by Maharashtra (78), Karnataka (73), Chandigarh (71) and Goa (65).
- The index is the second edition, launched by NITI Aayog in partnership with WRI India, covering all 36 states and union territories.
- IEMI uses 16 indicators under three themes: Transport Electrification (50% weight), Charging Readiness (30%) and Research & Innovation (20%).
- The national median score rose from 36 in 2024 to 40 in 2025; the best score rose from 77 to 84.
- Madhya Pradesh recorded the biggest rank jump, from 23 to 7; Goa and Puducherry rose 10 ranks each and Bihar climbed eight places.
- Haryana scored just 19 on transport electrification but 91 on charging readiness; Uttar Pradesh scored 58 and 36 respectively.
- Karnataka led charging readiness with 97, followed by Goa 92, Maharashtra and Haryana 91 each, and Delhi 88.
- Manipur topped the hilly and northeastern states category with 46 points; 26 of 36 states and UTs have EV policies in 2025.
Timeline
- 2024First edition of the India Electric Mobility Index; best score 77 and national median score 36.
- 2025Second edition (IEMI 2025) released by NITI Aayog with WRI India; Delhi tops with 84, median rises to 40, 26 of 36 states/UTs have EV policies.
Who has a stake
- NITI Aayog — Co-developer of the index; uses it to benchmark state performance and guide India's electric mobility transition.
- WRI India — Partner institution in designing and releasing the index and its indicator framework.
- Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chandigarh, Goa — Ranked Top Performers; Maharashtra and Karnataka are the only large states in this category.
- Hilly, northeastern and island states/UTs — Lower scores; Manipur leads this group with 46, and the index says they need shared mobility, corridor charging and region-suited vehicle segments.
- Haryana and Uttar Pradesh — Illustrate the mismatch between EV adoption and charging infrastructure — Haryana strong on charging, UP stronger on adoption.
- EV startups and innovation ecosystem — Counted under the 20% Research & Innovation theme; clusters in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu drive their high scores.
Why it matters
The index gives a comparable, indicator-based picture of how unevenly India's EV transition is progressing across states, showing that adoption and charging infrastructure often do not advance together. With only 26 of 36 states and UTs having EV policies and 14 regions in the Aspirants category on transport electrification, it identifies where policy and enabling conditions, not just vehicle sales, need work. It also signals that different geographies — urban versus hilly, northeastern and island regions — require different electrification strategies.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- IEMI 2025 is the second edition, released by NITI Aayog with WRI India, covering 36 states and UTs on 16 indicators.
- Theme weightages: Transport Electrification 50%, Charging Readiness 30%, Research & Innovation 20%.
- Top five in IEMI 2025: Delhi 84, Maharashtra 78, Karnataka 73, Chandigarh 71, Goa 65.
- Manipur topped hilly and northeastern states with 46 points.
- Karnataka topped charging readiness with 97; Maharashtra topped research and innovation among large states with 85.
- National median score rose from 36 (2024) to 40 (2025); Madhya Pradesh jumped from rank 23 to 7.
Mains framing
India's electric mobility transition is advancing but remains sharply uneven, as IEMI 2025 shows: the top score climbed from 77 to 84 while the national median moved only from 36 to 40, and only three regions — Delhi, Chandigarh and Maharashtra — scored highest on transport electrification against 14 in the Aspirants category. A central finding is the decoupling of adoption from infrastructure: Haryana scored 91 on charging readiness but only 19 on transport electrification, while Uttar Pradesh scored 58 on electrification and 36 on charging, indicating that vehicle demand and charging networks are being built on different timelines. Research and innovation shows the widest geographic spread, concentrated in industrial and startup clusters of Maharashtra (85), Karnataka (82) and Tamil Nadu (77), reinforcing existing regional advantages. With EV policies in only 26 of 36 states and UTs, the way forward, as the index suggests, lies in shifting emphasis from policy announcement to implementation — charging networks, power supply, fleet adoption and R&D — and in tailoring strategies to geography, with dense charging and fleet adoption in cities and shared mobility, corridor charging and region-suited vehicle segments in hilly, northeastern and island areas. Comparability caveats matter too: peer groupings, added data points and new normalization datasets mean ranks cannot always be compared directly across editions.
Key terms
- India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI)
- A NITI Aayog–WRI India index assessing how effectively states and UTs promote electric mobility, using 16 indicators across three themes.
- Transport Electrification
- IEMI theme with 50% weight, measuring progress in electric vehicle adoption.
- Charging Readiness
- IEMI theme with 30% weight, measuring charging infrastructure and enabling conditions.
- Research & Innovation
- IEMI theme with 20% weight, capturing EV startups and the innovation ecosystem.
- Peer groupings
- Categorisation of states/UTs into comparable groups (such as large states and hilly/northeastern states), which limits direct rank comparison across editions.
- Aspirants / Frontrunner categories
- Performance bands used in the index; 14 regions were Aspirants on transport electrification and over two-thirds were below the Frontrunner mark on charging readiness.
Practice questions
- Discuss the findings of the India Electric Mobility Index 2025 and examine why electric vehicle adoption and charging infrastructure development do not progress simultaneously across Indian states.
- Composite indices such as the IEMI are increasingly used to rank states. Critically evaluate their usefulness in guiding policy, using the IEMI's own comparability caveats as an example.
- Electrification strategies suited to metropolitan India may not work in hilly, northeastern and island regions. Comment with reference to IEMI 2025.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.