Tata Nexon reclaims No. 1 SUV crown in FY2026

With record wholesales of 216,054 units in FY2026 and a stunning show of resilience, the Tata Nexon has wrested back the title of India’s No. 1 SUV and utility vehicle (UV) it lost in FY2025 to its sibling, the Tata Punch. What’s more, it has jumped five ranks from No. 6 position in FY2025 to win the crown and also keep challenger to the throne – the Hyundai Creta – at bay.

The Nexon’s stellar performance sees it extract sweet revenge on the Creta, which outsold the Nexon in CY2025 by a whisker – just 563 units! Autocar Professional had, in its March 12 sales analysis accurately forecast that the Nexon would “wrap up FY2026 with estimated wholesales between 215,000 to 220,000 units.”

FY2026 makes it the fourth instance that the Nexon is crowned India’s best-selling SUV, having ruled the UV market for three fiscals in a row – FY2022, FY2023 and FY2024. In FY2025, the Nexon (163,087 units, down 5% YoY) had lost to sibling Tata Punch.

What gave a fillip to Nexon sales is the GST 2.0 rationalisation which resulted in a sharp drop in the compact SUV’s price from end-September 2025. The surge in demand is amply reflected in the massive 41% jump in from sales in H1 FY2026 (89,557 units) compared to H2 FY2026 (126,497 units). The Nexon was India’s best-selling UV and PV in five of the past 12 months – September (22,573 units), October (22,083 units) November (22,434 units), January (23,365 units) and February (19,430 units).

While February 2026 saw the Tata Nexon achieve cumulative sales of a million units (10,16,868 units) since launch in September 2017, Tata Motors’ first compact SUV, sold with petrol, diesel, electric and CNG powertrains, accounted for a 34% share of the company’s record sales of 631,387 cars and SUVs in FY2026 including 92,120 EVs. The Hyundai Creta, which continues to be India’s best-selling midsize SUV, maintains its second ranked UV status of FY2025 in FY2026 with 201,921 units, up 4% YoY (FY2025: 194,871 units). This is the highest-ever fiscal year sales for the Creta, which was India’s best-selling UV in FY2021. The Creta remains Hyundai Motor India’s biggest sales contributor and accounted for a 34.52% share of the total 584,906 PVs sold last fiscal.

The popular Maruti Ertiga MPV (198,855 units, up 4%) is No. 3 on the podium, rising four ranks from No. 7 in FY2025 (190,974 units). This makes the Ertiga was the best-selling Maruti UV in FY2026 but is beaten to the title of Maruti’s best-selling model per se by the Dzire sedan (229,130 units) which is also India’s No. 1 passenger vehicle for FY2026.  

At No. 4 is the Tata Punch compact SUV with 183,980 units, down 6% YoY (FY2025: 196,567 units) and down three ranks after having being the best-selling SUV for the first time in FY2025. One of the reasons for could be that Punch aficionados had delayed their purchase decisions in view of the new facelifted ICE Punch, which was launched in January 2026 and followed by the new Punch EV in February. As a result of the two new models, the Punch registered its highest monthly sales in March 2026 (20,977 units), surpassing the 20,000 mark for the first time. At the end of January, Tata Motors’ second compact SUV, equipped with petrol, CNG and electric powertrains, drove past cumulative sales of 700,000 units four-and-a-half years after launch.

The Maruti Brezza (180,104 units, down 5%), is ranked No.5 amongst the Top 20 UVs of FY2026, down two ranks from No. 3 in FY2025. The Brezza, which kicked off the compact SUV juggernaut all those many years ago, was India’s No. 1 SUV for four straight fiscals from FY2017 to FY2020.

The Mahindra Scorpio maintains its No. 5 ranking of FY2025 in FY2026. In FY2026, the best-selling Mahindra model which comprises the Scorpio N and Scorpio Classic sold 178,800 units, up 8% YoY (FY2025: 164,842), which translates into an additional 13,958 units. This gives the Scorpio twins a 27% share of the record SUV sales of 660,276 units in FY2026.

At No. 7 is the Maruti Fronx compact SUV (172,363 units, up 4%). This ranking is down three positions from the No. 4 it had in FY2025. Last November, the Fronx became the first Nexa-sold SUV to register cumulative sales of 400,000 units. 

The Mahindra Thar, which comprises the five-door Thar Roxx and the three-door Thar, is among the game-changing models of FY2026 and a key growth driver for Mahindra. The 126,261 units are a handsome 49% YoY increase (FY2025: 84,834 units) and help the Thar brand jump to eighth rank from No. 15 a year ago. The bulk of the sales belong to the Thar Roxx, which is more of a mainstream mode than the 3-door Thar. 

The Hyundai Venue compact SUV (117,737 units, down 1% YoY) hold onto its ninth rank of FY2025. Demand for the Venue was tepid for the first five months of FY2026 but picked up after GST 2.0 kicked in and the launch of the next-gen Venue in early November. 

The Kia Sonet compact SUV (114,142 units, up 14%) checks in at No. 10, rising two spots from its No. 12 a year ago. This is the second fiscal in a row that the Sonet has outsold the Seltos midsize SUV

Utility Vehicle No. 14 is the Mahindra 3XO (100,030 units, up 17%), at the same position as in CY2024. 

Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s best-selling product remains the Innova MPV. Ranked No. 11, the Toyota Innova MPV with its Hycross and Crysta variants – clocked estimated wholesales of 112,186 units, up 5% YoY (FY2025: 107,204 units). Demand for the Innova Hycross has been particularly strong which is estimated to account for around 65% of the brand’s sales with the Crysta contributing the rest.

At No. 12 is the indefatigable and hardy Mahindra Bolero (110,136 units, up 16%). What helped revive numbers was the launch of the new Bolero and Bolero Neo in early October 2025. 

Utility Vehicle No. 13 is the Mahindra 3XO (103,341 units, up 2%), down two ranks from the No. 13 it had in FY2025 (100,905 units).

Jumping five ranks YoY to No. 14 in FY2026 is another star performer – the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder (99,890 units, up 65%). This translates into an additional 39,502 units and helps Toyota Kirloskar Motor achieve record UV and PV sales in FY2026. This midsize SUV, which has surpassed 200,000 sales in the domestic market in December 2026, moves up four ranks to be UV No. 15 in CY2025 from No. 19 in CY2024.

One rank behind the Hyryder is the Mahindra XUV700 which was recently replaced by the new 7XO (87,412 units, down 6%). The sales decline sees the Mahindra flagship SUV drop one ranks to No. 15.

One of the sharpest falls in ranking is that of the Maruti Grand Vitara. With 86,103 units sold in FY2026, down 31% YoY (FY2025: 123,946 units), this premium midsize SUV sold from the Nexa channel drops all of 8 ranks YoY to No. 16. One of the reasons is the launch of the more affordable Maruti Victoris midsize SUV from the Arena channel which with 75,611 units sold between September and March 2026 is India’s 20^th best-selling utility vehicle.

The Kia Seltos midsize SUV (83,747 units, up 15%) is the third Kia UV in this Top 20 models’ list at No. 17, the same as in FY2026. Sales were tepid for the first nine months of last fiscal, but rose strongly following the launch of the new Seltos in early January 2026. Wholesales crossed the 10,000-unit mark in January (10,639 units) and maintained the growth trajectory in February (10,308 units) and March (11,041 units).

The Kia Carens (FY2026 estimated sales: 80,629 units, up 25% YoY) is ranked No. 18 on the UV ladder-board. Demand revved up for this MPV following the launch of new siblings – the Carens Clavis (in May 2025) and the Clavis EV (in July 2025). 

The Hyundai Exter compact SUV (66,877 units, down 14%) is down three ranks on the 16^th position it had in FY2025 (77,412 units). At the end of December 2026=5, the Exter drove past the 200,000 sales milestone, 30 months after launch. 

The Maruti Victoris midsize SUV, launched in September 2025, wraps up the Top 20 UV list with 75,611 units. Maruti Suzuki’s latest midsize SUV, which is sold through its Arena dealerships as the company’s flagship model, had a 10% of the record 760,987 UVs the PV market leader sold in FY2026.

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