Auto
EV Registrations Jump 75% in October While India’s Car Market Shrinks 14.6%
Electric cars reached 7.3% of passenger vehicle registrations, nearly double a year earlier, as petrol and diesel registrations fell.
India’s electric passenger vehicle registrations rose 74.7% year on year in October 2026, even as total passenger vehicle registrations fell 14.6%, according to data from JATO
| The headline numbers | October 2026 | October 2025 | Change |
| Total passenger vehicle registrations | 5,01,406 | 5,87,103 | −14.6% |
| Electric registrations | 36,646 | 20,979 | +74.7% |
| ICE registrations | 4,64,760 | — | −17.9% |
| EV share of the market | 7.3% | 3.6% | Nearly doubled |
The 7.3% share is on JATO’s figures. Vahan-based data compiled by Nuvama had EVs at 8.3% of the market in September, so the two numbers come from different datasets and are not directly comparable.
Tata and Mahindra lean on EVs
- Tata Motors: EV registrations rose 76.3% to 14,560, or 20.2% of its total registrations, about one in five. ICE registrations fell 18.7% to 57,693, so overall registrations fell 8.8% to 72,253. Tata said its Punch.ev crossed 5,000 sales in a month for the first time and that demand for its EVs exceeds supply, so it is working to raise production and availability.
- Mahindra: EV registrations rose 84.2% to 8,473, or 13.2% of its total, up from 6.3% a year earlier. ICE registrations fell 19.1% and overall registrations fell 12.6% to 64,063.
Ravi Bhatia, President of JATO Dynamics, said electrification is becoming a growth driver that helps carmakers offset weakness in conventional sales, with price competitiveness, range and ownership experience shaping adoption.
The 2026 trend
According to Vahan data cited in the report, monthly EV registrations rose from 21,029 in January to 35,777 in October, after a September peak of 37,284. Over the first ten months of 2026, Tata Motors registered 1,17,547 electric passenger vehicles, Mahindra 66,945 and MG 55,016, together more than 83% of the total.
Conventional carmakers slip
Maruti Suzuki’s registrations fell 15.2% to 2,11,529, Hyundai Motor India’s fell 16.6% to 57,915 and Kia’s fell 13.4% to 30,667. MG grew 4.3% and Nissan rose 23%.
A festive-calendar effect
Diwali falls on November 8 this year, against October last year, which could shift bookings and registrations between the two months. Wholesale dispatches tell a different story: they rose 12.4% to 5,28,384 units in October, with Maruti Suzuki’s domestic wholesale volumes up 20.5% to 2,12,384 and Tata Motors’ dispatches up 20.9% to 73,894. The Financial Express has said November will test festive demand.
November’s registrations will show whether October’s retail dip was mostly timing or a broader softening in demand. Either way, electric and conventional cars are moving in opposite directions, and EVs are becoming a bigger part of every carmaker’s growth plan.
Sources: Business Standard, The Financial Express, The Times of India, Autocar Pro, JATO Dynamics. Registration figures come from JATO Dynamics and Vahan and differ by dataset.
