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Indians bought a record 3.55 lakh electric vehicles in October 2026, according to retail data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). But petrol two-wheelers sold even faster in the festive rush, so the electric share of two-wheeler sales actually slipped, from 11.6 per cent in September to 9.7 per cent.

Electric scooter parked at a charging station

A Record Month

FADA counted about 3.55 lakh EV retail sales in October, an all-time high and roughly 45 per cent more than a year earlier. EVs made up about 11.5 per cent of all vehicles sold, up from about 6 per cent in October 2025. FADA said it was a best-ever month for electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cars and commercial vehicles alike.

Vahan registration data tells the same story. Counts compiled by EVreporter and JMK Research both put October EV registrations at about 3.54 lakh, the highest in at least a year and up from about 3.34–3.38 lakh in September.

Overall, dealers sold 31,72,466 vehicles in October, 25 per cent more than in September but 23.8 per cent fewer than in October 2025. FADA put the year-on-year fall down to the festival calendar, saying demand was deferred rather than lost. “This was still the second-highest October on record,” FADA president Sai Giridhar said.

Why the Share Fell

Two-wheelers explain the gap. Total two-wheeler retail sales jumped 29.67 per cent from September to 23,21,419 units, though that was still 28.35 per cent below October 2025. Electric two-wheelers grew too, to a record 2,23,964 registrations, but only by about 8 per cent month-on-month. JMK Research linked the fall in EV share partly to festive discounts on petrol two-wheelers.

Electric cars followed the same pattern. Their share of passenger vehicle sales fell to 7.3 per cent in October from above 8 per cent in September, even though FADA called October a best-ever month for electric cars.

Supply may also have capped the numbers. “Demand ran ahead of supply this month,” Giridhar said of EVs.

The Scooter Race

Electric two-wheeler sales were up 48 per cent on October 2025. The legacy makers now lead. By Vahan data, TVS Motor sold about 60,400 electric two-wheelers, a 27 per cent share. Bajaj Auto followed with about 49,100 (21.9 per cent), then Ather Energy with about 31,800 (14.2 per cent) and Hero MotoCorp with about 29,900 (13.4 per cent).

Ola Electric registered 12,096 units for a 5.4 per cent share. That was 26 per cent below its October 2025 tally of 16,439, according to Auto India Daily’s analysis of Vahan data. Over January to October 2026, electric two-wheeler sales reached 17.9 lakh, already more than the 13.4 lakh sold in all of 2025, the same analysis showed.

Cars, Autos and Trucks

Electric car registrations reached 36,823 in October, up 87 per cent year-on-year, by JMK Research’s count. Tata Motors held 39.6 per cent of the segment, Mahindra & Mahindra 23.1 per cent and JSW MG Motor 16 per cent.

Electric three-wheelers remain the most electrified segment. JMK counted 88,569 units, about 62.6 per cent of all three-wheeler sales. Low-cost e-rickshaws dipped to 27,529 registrations from 29,507 in September, per EVreporter. Electric trucks are small in number at 4,162 units, but their share of goods vehicle sales rose to a record 3.85 per cent. Tata Motors led electric goods carriers with over 42 per cent share, followed by Euler Motors and Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, according to EVreporter. Electric bus registrations stood at 768, with JBM and Olectra the leading makers.

What to watch

November’s numbers. FADA expects deferred rural two-wheeler buying to show up in November data. If petrol bikes take most of that demand, EV share could stay below September’s 11.6 per cent for another month.

Supply. If makers could not keep up with EV demand in October, as FADA says, the next test is whether production catches up as the festive season ends.

The leaderboard. TVS, Bajaj, Ather and Hero are now separated by about 30,000 units a month. Ola’s slide and Hero’s rise are the trends to track in early December’s Vahan data.