Recently launched made-in-India Carens Clavis EV, which is the most affordable seven-seat, all- electric MPV in India, gives a new charge to Kia which entered the domestic EV market three years ago with the EV6 and then introduced the EV9, both as CBU imports. The August performance gives Kia India a 3% market share and sees it rise to No. 6 amongst 14 e-PV manufacturers.
Riding on the launch of its latest product, the Carens Clavis EV, Kia India has registered its highest monthly sales of electric vehicles since its entry into the India EV market in June 2022 with the EV6 crossover. In August 2025, the Indian arm of Kia Corporation registered retail sales of 441 units. This is an over-2000% YoY increase (August 2024: 20 units) and marks the first time that Kia India has
achieved three-figure sales since the past 35 months. The previous highest monthly retail number for the company was 90 EVs in December 2022 (see retail sales data table below).
Retail sales of 441 EVs in August 2025 make it the best month yet for Kia India, which entered the Indian EV market three years ago with the EV6 imported as a CBU.
This sudden surge in monthly retail sales and customer deliveries in August can be attributed to the mid-July 2025 launch of the Carens Clavis EV, the electric avatar of the new Carens Clavis MPV, which itself was launched as a more upmarket sibling of the Carens with more six- and seven-seater options, in May this year.
The rollout of the Carens Clavis four months ago and the Clavis EV in July has given a boost to Kia India’s wholesales numbers. In the first four months of FY2026, the Carens brand (Carens, Carens Clavis and Carens Clavis EV) has sold 27,671 units, up 29% YoY (April-July 2024: 21,477 units), as per SIAM wholesales data. In June, with factory dispatches of 7,921 units and a 38% share of Kia India’s wholesales, the Carens brand has topped the company’s model-wise monthly sales for the second time since its launch in February 2022. In July, Kia India dispatched 7,602 units of the MPV, accounting for 34% of its total wholesales of 22,135 PVs. Expect August wholesales to be even better than June and July, what with growing demand for both the ICE and EV variants of the Carens Clavis amid the ongoing festive season.
Proof of the growing demand for this Kia MPV came on August 14, when Kia India officially announced that it had received over 21,000 bookings for the Carens Clavis and Carens Clavis EV models – 20,000-plus for the ICE variant and over 1,000 for the zero-emission Clavis EV. The Vahan retail sales numbers for August 2025 for Kia India clearly indicate that the company has completed deliveries of over a third of the 1,000-plus bookings for the Clavis EV.
CARENS CLAVIS EV: KIA’S FIRST MADE-IN-INDIA ELECTRIC VEHICLE
The key to the growing consumer demand for the Carens Clavis EV and its affordability quotient is that it is Kia’s first made-in-India EV and benefits from commonality of parts with Hyundai Motor India. The zero-emission MPV, which sports subtle EV-specific tweaks over its IC-engined sibling, is the third EV from Kia India after the updated MY2025 EV6 (Rs 65.69 lakh) and the EV9 (Rs 1.3 crore), both imported as CBUs and resultantly sporting much higher price tags.
What also helps it stand out is the fact that the Carens Clavis EV is among the only three all-electric MPVs in India, the other two being the BYD eMax 7 (Rs 26.90 lakh) and the MG M9 (Rs 69.90 lakh). At Rs 17.99 lakh, the Carens Clavis EV is the most affordable of this seven-seater, all-electric trio of MPVs, which clearly is its calling card in a value-conscious, competitive market which is seeing growing demand for comfortable family MPVs. The Kia Carens Clavis EV’s ex-showroom pricing starts at Rs 17.99 lakh for the entry level HTK+ variant, rises to Rs 20.49 lakh for the HTX and goes up to Rs 24.49 lakh for the top-end HTX+ variant.
The Carens Clavis EV, which shares plenty of bits with the Hyundai Creta Electric, features the same powertrain options as the Hyundai Creta Electric. A 42kWh battery with an ARAI-claimed range of 404km, with a single front-mounted motor setup serves as the base powertrain and develops 135 hp, 255 Nm of torque. There’s a larger 51.4kWh battery on offer too, which increases the power output to 171hp and range to 490km.
Having achieved its best-monthly EV sales yet, Kia India has risen four ranks to No. 6 amongst the 14 electric passenger vehicle OEMs in India in August 2025, up from the 10th position it had in August 2024. While it is early days for the Carens Clavis EV, the coming months will reveal whether the latest Kia EV in town maintains its strong growth trajectory.
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