Electric car sales rose sharply during India’s Navratri automobile market even as overall vehicle registrations declined, according to provisional data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Associations. Electric passenger-car registrations increased 25.97 per cent year-on-year to 12,305 units during the 10-day festive period from October 11 to 20, 2026.
The increase contrasts with a 6.52 per cent fall in total automobile registrations, which declined from 12,01,479 units during the 11-day Navratri period in 2025 to 11,23,086 units this year. Non-electric passenger-vehicle registrations fell 24 per cent, from 2,24,236 units to 1,70,423 units.
Electric cars consequently expanded their share of passenger-vehicle registrations from 4.17 per cent during Navratri 2025 to 6.73 per cent this year, a gain of 2.56 percentage points. The comparison is significant for India’s urban mobility market, where passenger-vehicle demand weakened overall but electric models recorded higher registrations.
The shorter festive period this year also affects the year-on-year comparison. Navratri lasted 10 days in 2026, compared with 11 days in 2025, when the GST 2.0 roll-out brought forward substantial pent-up demand. On a daily-average basis, electric-car registrations rose from 888 units to 1,231 units, an increase of 38.6 per cent. Daily-average non-electric passenger-vehicle registrations declined from 20,385 units to 17,042 units, a fall of 16.4 per cent.
FADA President Sai Giridhar said electric-vehicle retail grew 26.78 per cent and accounted for close to 10.5 per cent of festive sales, compared with about 7.7 per cent a year earlier. He described electrification as the main stand-out in the latest retail data.
Across vehicle categories, total electric-vehicle registrations increased from 92,628 units during Navratri 2025 to 117,437 units this year, a rise of 26.78 per cent. Electric two-wheelers recorded particularly strong growth, with registrations increasing 33.41 per cent from 56,787 units to 75,758 units. Their share of the two-wheeler market rose from 6.62 per cent to 9.08 per cent.
The longer comparison also shows a substantial increase in electric passenger-car registrations. Registrations rose from 3,252 units during the comparable 10-day Navratri period in 2024 to 12,305 units this year, an increase of 278.38 per cent. Overall passenger-vehicle registrations increased 10.39 per cent over the same comparison.
Overall passenger-vehicle registrations nevertheless declined 21.91 per cent year-on-year, from 234,004 units to 1,82,728 units. FADA said the 6.52 per cent decline in total automobile registrations compared with Navratri 2025 was partly influenced by the difference in the number of festive days and last year’s GST-related demand pull-forward.
With the Dhanteras-to-Diwali sales period still ahead, Giridhar said the industry remained cautiously optimistic, citing affordability and rising consumer aspiration. The next major indicator for electric mobility will be how registrations perform through the remainder of the festive retail cycle.
