Road transport is a significant contributor of pollutant emissions in the cities of developing countries. Driving cycles are required for the estimation of fuel consumption and exhaust emissions from vehicles for emission testing and certification, with many cities having unique cycles for different types of vehicles and roads. However, no driving cycle has been developed for passenger cars and motorcycles in Chennai, India. Thus, the aim of the present study was to develop representative driving cycles for passenger cars and motorcycles which reflect the real-world driving conditions in Chennai, India. On-board diagnostic (OBD) reader and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers were used to collect second-by-second vehicle speed from a representative set of vehicles for developing the driving cycles. Eleven assessment measures were used in the construction of the driving cycles from the micro-trips. The developed cycles for motorcycles and passenger cars were of 1448 and 1065 s (peak-hour), which were further compared with existing driving cycles. Significant differences were observed between the cycles, thus highlighting the need for city-specific cycles. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd