India's top court has ordered a temporary ban on the sale of large diesel cars in New Delhi and hiked a levy on trucks entering the city, as the country's highly polluted capital seeks ways to tackle one of its worst-ever bouts of toxic smog.

An order passed by the Supreme Court on Wednesday bans the registration of sport-utility vehicles and other diesel cars with an engine capacity of 2,000 cc or more in Delhi and the surrounding Delhi region until March 31.

The court stopped short of banning smaller cars, but did prohibit trucks from transiting through the city to reach other states. An existing charge imposed on trucks making deliveries to Delhi itself was doubled, while all trucks over 10 years old will be banned from the capital.