Today (September 9, 2026) is the seventh anniversary of World EV Day, which was created to raise awareness and promote the shift to electric vehicles worldwide as well as enable the shift to a decarbonised society. World EV Day unites companies and individuals, policy makers and thought leaders, and sees activations and announcements that help continue to propel the zero-emission movement worldwide in a time of unbridled climate change. It’s also a day to take a closer look at the EV industry’s stellar performance in India, which is one of the fastest-growing automotive markets globally.
If the past three months’ retail sales of EVs in India, when monthly deliveries to customers averaged 314,613 EVs or 3,419 units on each of the 92 days between June and August 2026 are any indication, then the Indian EV industry looks well poised to further improve upon its numbers in the September-December period.
India’s EV industry is on a roll this year, with all four segments – e-2Ws, e-3Ws, e-passenger vehicles and e-commercial vehicles – witnessing strong double-digit growth in their cumulative sales for the first 8 months and 8 days of CY2026.
As per retail sales numbers on the Vahan portal, between January 1 and September 8 this year, a total of 2.26 million EVs (22,63,671 EVs) have been delivered to customers across the four segments. This constitutes strong 48% YoY growth or an additional 733,893 units year on year. The pace of growth is evident in the fact that while the first million units from the 2.26 million EVs were sold in a little over four months, the next million took just three months and 10-odd days (see CY2026 YTD retail sales table below).
Having opened CY2026 with 229,101 units in January, India EV Inc crossed the monthly 300,000 sales milestone for the first time in June (310,635 units) and repeated this again in July (332,454 units) and August (300,750 units). As a result of this three-month booster shot, the cumulative eight-months’ total of 2.26 million EVs across four vehicle segments is already 96% of CY2025’s 2.35 million units. In fact, on World EV Day 2026 today, the Indian EV industry is just 93,298 units away from last year’s total and will surpass it in the first half of this month (September).
With four months still to be counted this year, including the festive season, expect India EV Inc to add another 1.25 million EVs to its current 8-month and 8-day sales. If the same high growth momentum continues in the remaining part of this year, it can be surmised that not only will EV sales surpass the 3 million milestone for the first time in a calendar year, but they could even charge past 3.50 million units in CY2026.
Record Sales for Electric 2W, Passenger and Commercial Vehicle Segments
India EV Inc will see three of the four segments – e-2Ws, e-3Ws, e-PVs and e-CVs – achieve new sales highs in their annual sales (customer deliveries). The e-2W segment, which is the largest EV volume provider, has clocked 59% growth and sold 1.40 million units in CY2026 including a record 205,629 units in July. Having already surpassed its CY2025 sales (1,342,274 units), it is headed for the 2-million milestone in CY2026. In terms of market share, e-2Ws command a 62% share of total EV industry sales of 2.26 million units in the year to date, improving upon the 58% year ago. The segment is led by TVS Motor Co, Bajaj Auto, Ather Energy and Hero MotoCorp (Vida). These four e-scooter manufacturers have delivered over a million units (10,79,330 units) in CY2026 YTD and command 77% of the 1.40 million total.
The e-3W segment, with 608,022 units sold this year till September 8, is 193,370 units away from its CY2025 sales of 801,392 units. With a much slower growth rate (19% YoY) compared to the other three segments, it will likely be the sole EV sub-segment to not surpass its CY2025 record retails. In the current year, e-3Ws have a 27% share of all-India EV sales, down on the 33% share a year ago. Bajaj Auto (92,398 e-3Ws) and Mahindra & Mahindra (89,965 e-3Ws), each with a 15% market share are engaged in an intense battle for market leadership in the segment which has all of 680 players.
In tandem with the e-2W and commercial vehicle segments, the electric passenger vehicle segment (hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs and MPVs) crossed the 30,000-units mark for the third month running in August 2026. The big news though is that cumulative retail sales have crossed the 200,000 units in the first eight months of CY2026. Between January 1 and September 8, a total of 225,707 e-PVs were sold to mark stellar 79% YoY growth and left CY2025 (194,739 units) way behind. The four-month September-December 2026 period should bring in additional sales of 135,000 to 150,000 units, which means CY2026 e-PV retails could reach a record 350,000 units, surpassing the 300,000 annual sales milestone for the first time. Tata Motors, which has the largest e-PV portfolio, has sold 88,4437 units for a segment-leading 39% share, while Mahindra & Mahindra (48,807 units) has a 22% share and JSW MG Motor India (44,459 units) has a 20% share. Together, these three OEMs command an 81% share of the e-PV sales in this year to date.
The electric commercial vehicle segment, which comprises passenger-transporting buses, cargo-carrying LCVs and SCVs, has also scaled a new high. The 24,383 units are a 152% YoY increase and has surpassed entire CY2025 sales (16,695 units). Tata Motors is leading the charge with retails of 8,083 units and a 33% e-CV market share, followed by Euler Motors (4,855 units / 20% share), Mahindra Last Mile Mobility (2,497 units / 10% share), Switch Mobility (1,971 units), and Olectra Greentech (916 units) and the Murugappa Group’s Tivolt Electric Vehicles (749 units).
10 Million EVs Sold in India Since CY2017, EV Penetration Grows to 11% in CY2026
A deep dive into decadal retail sales numbers since CY2017 reveals just how rapidly demand has grown for EVs in India, particularly in the past four years. Between CY2017 to CY2026 YTD, 10 million (1,01,43,478) zero-emission vehicles have been delivered to customers in India. Of this, 9.28 million EVs or 92% (92,89,453 units) have been sold since CY2022 which was the first year when India EV Inc surpassed the million annual sales milestone.
As a result of the strong growth since CY2022, the EV penetration level in overall automobile sales (across all powertrains) has more than doubled from 5% in CY2022 to 11% at present (see decadal EV sales table above). The government has outlined a strategic shift to e-mobility, and has targeted EVs to account for 30% of its mobility requirements by 2030.
Why EV Sales Are Growing in India: Fuel Prices, PM E-DRIVE and Localisation
The speedy growth of the Indian EV industry is being enabled by a host of tailwinds including the ongoing global crude oil turbulence which saw petrol and diesel prices surge in May 2026 even as CNG prices continue to witness intermittent hikes. Add to that, the continuing vehicle buyer hesitancy about e20 petrol – alternative fuelled car sales overtook petrol car sales in August – along with the wallet-friendly running-cost economics of EVs, expanding EV charging infrastructure and maturing consumer confidence as a result of expanding product portfolios across the e-2W, e-3W, e-PV and e-CV segments. Industry and EV buyers are also benefited by the PM E-DRIVE scheme as well as EV-friendly state policies. There’s also growing demand coming in from the e-commerce industry and logistics players for EVs on two and three wheels, and from taxi fleet operators for electric passenger vehicles.
Meanwhile, recognising the huge business potential, auto component manufacturers are also upping the ante on localising EV parts, either through full ground-up development or through technology licences. This is leading to enhanced optimisation of production costs and in turn EV affordability, which is the overriding growth mantra. In fact, the theme for World EV Day 2026 is ‘Switching Electric: driving down the cost of motoring’.
As we have done throughout this year, Autocar Professional will continue to consistently track India EV Inc’s growth trajectory. And when this year shift into CY2027, remember we were the first media house to forecast record annual sales of 3.5 million EVs in India in CY2026.
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