India EV sales hit record 24.5 lakh in FY26; cars jump 84%, two- and three-wheelers lead volumes

NEW DELHI: India’s electric vehicles sales crossed a record 20 lakh-unit mark for the first time, as significant numbers in two- and three-wheelers and growing volumes in cars added strength to the greens.According to retail sales numbers released by Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association (FADA), a total of 24.5 lakh units of EVs were sold in FY26 against 19.6 lakh units in the previous fiscal, registering a growth of around 25%.A large part of the volumes came in from two-wheelers, led by brands such as TVS, Bajaj Auto, and Ather. A total of 14 lakh electric two-wheelers were sold in FY26 against 11.5 lakh units in the previous fiscal.In three-wheelers, a total of 8.3 lakh units were sold against 7 lakh units in FY25, registering a growth of 19%. Mahindra and Mahindra, Bajaj Auto, and TVS fuelled the numbers in three wheelers. When it comes to electric cars, the volumes grew at 84% in the just-closed 2025-26 fiscal as new models and price cuts fuelled the numbers. Total EV sales almost touched 2 lakh units in FY26 against the near 1.1 lakh units sold in FY25, FADA said.In commercial vehicles, EV sales 19,454 units, a growth of 121% over the 8,820 units in FY25.“FY26 has been a watershed year for India’s electric mobility story. Total EV retail across two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger vehicles, and commercial vehicles stood at approximately 24.52 lakh units, growing nearly 25% YoY with every category delivering strong double-digit growth… This is not just an automobile industry achievement — it is a testament to India’s ability to lead a mass-market energy transition, from the last-mile auto-rickshaw to the family car. This shows that the structural momentum behind India’s EV journey remains firmly intact,” FADA president C S Vigneshwar said.In cars, the focus by companies to beef up charging infrastructure also aided the growth as most players are beginning to get aggressive in the green vehicles space in anticipation of stricter emission norms.Tata Motors continued to lead in cars, selling 78,811 units against 57,994 units in FY25 (growth of 36%). JSW MG Motor was the second largest, selling 53,089 units against 30,569 units at a growth of 74%. Mahindra & Mahindra, which has been gradually boosting its product portfolio and investments in greens (models such as XEV9E and BE6), had a 407% growth as it sold 42,721 units against 8,426 units in FY25.Most of the other players, including Hyundai, BYD, Kia and new-entrant Maruti Suzuki, are yet to gain significant scale in EVs when compared to sale of their conventional ICE (internal combustion engine) models.Maruti Suzuki, which started EV sales initially with exports, only retailed 1,416 units in India. It started sales in the domestic market (with the eVitara) around February this year. Luxury maker BMW is clearly going strong in its EV sales as the company sold 3,537 units in FY26 at a growth of 124% against 1,580 units in the previous year, as per FADA numbers. Mercedes-Benz AG had a decline of 10% in EV sales at 1,057 units against 1,157 units sold in FY25. Tesla, another new entrant in cars, sold 342 new EVs in India. The company had started sales in India in July 2025 and retails only the Model Y.