Vehicle retail sales during this year’s Navratri window slipped about 5% from last year, when the festival began on the same day that revised GST rates took effect, according to data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA).
Retailers sold 11,40,658 vehicles between 11 and 20 October 2026, against 12,01,480 in the 2025 window, a fall of 5.06%. Last year’s period ran from 22 September to 2 October, starting on the day the GST 2.0 rate cuts came into force.
The 2025 window was also one day longer. Against Navratri 2024, volumes are up 28.74% from 8,85,999 units.
FADA says the 2025 base was inflated by demand held back ahead of the cuts and released once they took effect. The rate revisions, which also removed the compensation cess on cars, lowered the tax on small cars, two-wheelers up to 350cc and three-wheelers from the earlier 28% slab to 18%.
FADA also notes that last year’s price advantage has faded as manufacturers raised prices since.
Passenger vehicles saw the steepest decline, down 18.20% to 1,91,426 units from 2,34,005, though still 15.64% above 2024. Three-wheelers fell 5.73% to 46,617 units. Two-wheelers were nearly flat, down 2.02% to 8,40,696 units from 8,58,027, and 33.46% higher than two years ago.
Other segments edged ahead. Commercial vehicles rose 3.90% to 36,596 units and tractors 2.43% to 23,036. Wheeled construction equipment was flat at 2,287 units versus 2,285, which is 14.70% below 2024, the only segment lower than two years ago.
Electric vehicles grew in every segment, with retails up 28.93% to 1,19,429 units from 92,629. That works out to roughly 10.5% of Navratri sales, up from about 7.7% a year earlier.
Electric two-wheelers rose 34.74% to 76,515 and electric passenger vehicles 36.66% to 13,349. Electric three-wheelers grew 11.19% to 28,262, while electric commercial vehicles nearly doubled, up 98.33% to 1,303 from a small base.