How to Fit a CNG or LPG Kit in Your Car Legally in Pakistan

In Pakistan, a CNG kit may only be fitted by an OGRA-licensed CNG station, using a brand-new imported seamless cylinder. You must get a cylinder test certificate after the job and have the cylinder retested every 5 years. An LPG kit is banned on motorcycles, rickshaws, buses, coaches and wagons, and the cylinder can never sit under a seat or inside the cabin.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) regulates both fuels. CNG is compressed natural gas, held at up to 200 bar, which is about 200 times normal air pressure. LPG is liquefied petroleum gas, the same gas sold in home cylinders. We read OGRA's public notice to CNG vehicle owners, its approved kit list, its LPG vehicle notice, and the alteration rules of Excise in Punjab and Sindh.

Who can legally fit a CNG kit

Only a licensed CNG station may convert a vehicle to CNG, says OGRA. It warns owners never to install a CNG kit or cylinder at an unauthorised roadside workshop. Ask the station to show its OGRA marketing licence before you hand over the car.

OGRA's public notice to CNG vehicle owners is blunt about the reason. The gas is stored at high pressure, so only cylinders built for it can hold it safely. A cylinder from a roadside fitter may be the wrong type, second-hand or joined from two pieces.

OGRA's list of approved CNG conversion kits, dated 30 August 2017, names three makers: Landi Renzo of Italy, Lovato of Italy, and LR Pak (Pvt) Ltd of Pakistan. It also publishes separate lists of approved vehicle cylinders. The kit list is old, so ask the station which approved kit it is fitting and keep the invoice.

A licence is easy to check. OGRA publishes lists of CNG stations with valid marketing licences, and of licences it has cancelled. A station running on a cancelled licence breaks Rule 3 of the CNG Rules, according to OGRA's own FAQs. New CNG licences are now issued only for stations selling RLNG, which is imported gas.

The CNG cylinder rules that keep you safe

Use only a brand-new, imported, seamless CNG cylinder made to the NZS 5454-1989 standard. Never accept an LPG, oxygen, nitrogen or welded cylinder, or a used one that has been burnt. Get it retested every 5 years and the whole system checked once a year.

1. Buy only an approved, new, seamless cylinder. OGRA names the NZS 5454-1989 standard, a New Zealand standard for gas cylinders.
2. Reject any other gas cylinder. LPG, oxygen, nitrogen and acetylene cylinders cannot hold 200 bar and can explode.
3. Reject a cylinder joined from two halves, by threads or by welding. Real CNG cylinders are made in one piece.
4. Reject a used cylinder damaged by fire, for example in a riot. Fire weakens the metal.
5. Get the cylinder test certificate from the CNG station after the conversion, and keep it in the car.
6. Have the system inspected once a year by trained staff at a CNG station: cylinder, pipes, kit, leaks and performance.
7. Retest the cylinder every 5 years. That is its periodic test life.

When you refuel, never ask for more than 200 bar. OGRA says a station that fills above that limit can be reported to it for action. It also asks drivers to let station staff inspect the cylinder at refuelling, and not to smoke while the car is being filled.

Where to get a CNG cylinder tested

For the 5 year retest, OGRA sends owners to the nearest CNG station or to the Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP). HDIP runs cylinder testing labs in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar.

The numbers are from OGRA's public notice, which is not dated. Call before you go, because lab numbers and hours can change. If your car came with a cylinder already fitted and you do not know its age, start here. A cylinder with an unknown test date is the one to worry about.

LPG kits: where they are banned

Pakistan's LPG rules ban an LPG cylinder or tank on motorcycles, scooters and public service vehicles, which means rickshaws, buses, coaches and wagons. In any vehicle, no LPG cylinder may sit under a seat or inside the passenger compartment. Stations must refuse to fill such vehicles.

The ban came through S.R.O. 1068(I)/2013 of 18 December 2013, which amended the LPG (Production and Distribution) Rules 2001. OGRA reproduces the clause in its public awareness notice. In plain words, an LPG tank in a private car must sit outside the passenger cabin, and a public transport vehicle cannot run on LPG at all.

Fill only at a licensed LPG auto refuelling station. OGRA says refuelling from illegal decanters is not allowed. Decanting means filling gas from one cylinder into another outside a licensed plant. OGRA publishes a list of licensed LPG auto refuelling stations, and a list of authorised makers of LPG equipment, both updated in 2026. The same safety habits apply as with a home LPG cylinder, starting with checking for the smell of gas.

Recording the change with Excise and your insurer

Punjab Excise charges Rs 1,500 to record an alteration to a private car, and Rs 3,000 for a transport vehicle. Sindh has its own form for declaring alterations. Neither page names a fuel conversion, so ask your Excise office whether yours must be recorded.

Sindh's form, called Form BT, is a declaration of alterations that make a vehicle liable to a higher rate of tax. You surrender the old tax token and pay any extra. A fuel kit may not change the tax, but the office decides that, not the fitter.

Tell your insurer too. If the company does not know about the kit, its policy terms decide whether a claim is paid. We explain the main policy types for car insurance in Pakistan. In Punjab, private cars also need a fitness certificate. Keep the cylinder test certificate with the car's papers when you go.

Common questions

Is it legal to fit a CNG kit in a car in Pakistan?

Yes, if an OGRA-licensed CNG station fits it with an approved, brand-new seamless cylinder and gives you a test certificate.

Can I fit an LPG kit in my rickshaw or motorcycle?

No. The LPG rules, as amended in 2013, ban LPG cylinders on motorcycles, scooters, rickshaws, buses, coaches and wagons.

How often must a CNG cylinder be tested?

Every 5 years, says OGRA. The whole CNG system should also be checked once a year at a CNG station.

Can a CNG cylinder be filled above 200 bar?

No. 200 bar is the maximum. OGRA asks drivers to report any station filling above it.

Which CNG kits does OGRA approve?

Its list dated 30 August 2017 names Landi Renzo and Lovato of Italy, and LR Pak (Pvt) Ltd of Pakistan.

Can an LPG cylinder be fitted in the boot?

The rules ban it under the seats and inside the passenger compartment. Ask a licensed fitter how your car's boot is sealed off from the cabin.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 2 October 2026. The CNG rules, the 200 bar limit, the 5 year test and the HDIP numbers are from OGRA's undated public notice to CNG vehicle owners. The kit list, FAQs and licence guidebook are from OGRA's CNG page. The LPG ban is from OGRA's LPG vehicle awareness notice, which quotes S.R.O. 1068(I)/2013. The alteration fees are from Punjab Excise's motor vehicle tax page, and Form BT from excise.gos.pk. We did not visit a CNG station or test a cylinder.