Rawalpindi Opens Drive-Through Emission Testing Station
The new Rawalpindi emission testing station is a drive-through facility giving private vehicle owners a new place to check their vehicles’ smoke emissions and obtain fitness certification.
The station stands on GT Road near Ayub Park. It began operations on Monday, 2 November 2026, under the Punjab Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (PVICS). Motorists can drive their vehicles through the facility for smoke emission testing without leaving their vehicles.
How the drive-through station works
The point of the drive-through design is convenience. Instead of parking, queuing on foot and waiting through a manual inspection, a driver stays in the vehicle while it passes through the testing facility. The station checks smoke emissions and, for vehicles that meet the prescribed standards, supports the issue of a fitness certificate.
The new station forms part of Punjab’s efforts to control air pollution by identifying vehicles that produce excessive smoke and ensuring that motorists meet prescribed environmental standards. The provincial government has expanded its vehicle inspection and certification system to cover private vehicles as part of its campaign against vehicular pollution and smog. Under the system, eligible vehicles are required to undergo emission testing and obtain fitness certificates.
Rawalpindi motorists can visit the station on GT Road near Ayub Park to get their private vehicles tested.
Why it matters in smog season
The opening comes in the middle of Punjab’s smog season, which runs from October to December. Smoke-emitting vehicles are among the sources of pollution named by the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department, alongside factory and industrial emissions, the burning of scrap and garbage, crop residue burning, and emissions from brick kilns and stone-crushing plants.
Enforcement in Rawalpindi district is already visible. According to the department’s survey figures reported this week, 49 smoke-emitting vehicles had been impounded in the district and fines amounting to Rs600,000 imposed, while 21 brick kilns and five stone-crushing plants emitting smoke had been sealed. The district administration has also ordered first information reports and heavy fines against smoke-emitting vehicles, factories, industrial units, brick kilns, stone-crushing plants and those involved in burning tyres and garbage.
Against that background, a testing station is not only a compliance point. It gives a motorist a straightforward way to find out whether a vehicle is part of the problem before an enforcement team does. A failed test is a warning to get the vehicle repaired; a passed test, with a fitness certificate, is proof that the vehicle meets the standard.
What motorists should know
Private vehicle owners in Rawalpindi who have not yet had an emission test should plan a visit to the GT Road station near Ayub Park. The drive-through format means the visit should take less time than a conventional inspection, since there is no need to leave the vehicle.
Motorists should keep their vehicle documents ready and expect the station to check smoke emissions against the prescribed standard. Vehicles that emit excessive smoke will not meet the standard, and owners should have them repaired and retested rather than continuing to drive them through the smog season.
The station is the first of its kind in Rawalpindi, and its opening signals that private vehicles are now firmly inside Punjab’s vehicle inspection system, not outside it. As the smog season continues, testing and certification are likely to become a routine part of keeping a private vehicle on the road in the city.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the new emission testing station?
On GT Road near Ayub Park in Rawalpindi.
When did it begin operations?
On Monday, 2 November 2026, under the Punjab Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (PVICS).
Do motorists have to leave their vehicles?
No. The station is drive-through, so motorists remain in their vehicles during smoke emission testing.
What does the station provide?
Smoke emission testing for private vehicles, supporting the issue of a fitness certificate for vehicles that meet the prescribed standards.
Why is emission testing being expanded now?
Punjab has extended its vehicle inspection and certification system to private vehicles as part of its campaign against vehicular pollution and smog, which peaks from October to December.
