The Indian scooter industry is on a roll. In May 2026, 739,667 ICE and electric scooters were dispatched by nine manufacturers to their showrooms across India. This marked a 27% YoY increase (May 2025: 580,696 units) and 7% month-on-month growth (April 2026: 691,993 units). May 2026 is the fourth month in the current calendar year to see 700,000-plus wholesales after January (750,580 units), February (729,774 units) and March (761,422 units). April missed 700,000 units by a whisker – just 8,007 units. Cumulative five-month wholesales at 3.67 million units are up 32% YoY (January-May 2025: 2.77 million units).
That’s not all. May 2026 is, like April 2026 was, the fifth month of the year and the best-ever May for the scooter industry (see 11-year data table below), beating the previous best – May 2025 (580,696 units). The lowest were the two Covid-impacted months of May 2020 (69,196 units) and May 2021 (52,409 units), when sales crashed before demand picked up again. In the years following the pandemic, the domestic scooter industry has gradually come into its own, hitting a new high in FY2026, driven by refreshed as well as new models, revival of demand from rural India and semi-urban regions, GST 2.0 reform and the sale of over 1.10 million electric scooters.
On the fiscal year front, combined April-May 2026 sales at 1.43 million units are up 27% YoY (April-May 2025: 1.12 million units) and account for 18% of the scooter industry’s record wholesales of 8.1 million units in FY2026.
In May 2026, scooters (739,667 units) had a 39% share of the 1.90 million 2Ws sold, better than the 37% share of April. In comparison, the motorcycle share reduced to 58% in May versus 61% in April.
In May 2026, scooters (739,667 units, up 27%) had a 39% share of the total 1.90 million two-wheelers sold, including 1,113,373 motorcycles (up 7% YoY, 58% share) and 48,569 mopeds (up 30% YoY, 3% share). Month on month, the scooter share of the overall 2W industry has risen to 39% in May from 37% in April, while that of motorcycles reduced to 58% from 61% in April 2026.
This increase in scooter market share can be attributed to the multiple hikes in petrol prices in mid-May and an increase in the 2W buyer shift to e-mobility, catered to mainly by e-scooters and only a handful of zero-emission motorcycles. May 2026 saw OEMs dispatch a total of 133,796 e-scooters, up 67% YoY (May 2025: 79,761 e-scooters). Month on month, May e-2W wholesales were higher by 19% (April 2026: 112,676 units). As a result, the share of electric scooters in overall scooter sales rose to 18% – a 2 percentage point increase over the 16% in April 2026.
Scooter market leader Honda maintained its dominance over the ICE market, but e-scooter market leader TVS, along with Bajaj, Ather and Hero, continue to increase their market share each month.
Honda Leads but TVS, Hero, Bajaj, Ather Benefit From Surging Demand for E-scooters
Scooter market leader Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India maintained its dominance with 253,581 scooters comprising the Activa 110/125 and the Dio 110/125, up 17% YoY (May 2025: 217,609 units). This gives HMSI a 34% share compared to 37% a year ago. HMSI sales included 812 units of the Activa-e and QC1 e-scooters, up 20% YoY (May 2025: 676 units). In terms of retail sales, HMSI delivered over 500 e-scooters for the first time in May.
TVS Motor Co sold 210,450 scooters last month, a 33% YoY increase (May 2025: 158,522 units), which translates into 51,928 additional units and 15,956 units more than Honda’s additional 35,972 units. TVS, whose ICE portfolio contains the Jupiter, NTorq and Zest, continues to benefit from demand for its iQube and Orbiter e-scooters, selling 42,192 EVs, up 00% YoY. As such, TVS’ overall scooter share rose to 28% from 27% a year ago. For TVS, which dispatched 42,192 iQubes and Orbiters (up 53%), its e-scooter penetration level rose to 20% last month versus 17% in May 2025.
Suzuki Motorcycle India dispatched 108,074 scooters, up just 2% YoY, and saw its share fall to 15% from 18% a year ago. The Access 125 remains its best-selling product, ahead of the Avenis and Burgman Street, which are also powered by the same 125cc engine. Suzuki, which has entered the EV segment with its e-Access, sold 518 units in May.
Fourth-ranked Hero MotoCorp clocked wholesales of 62,307 units last month, up 91% YoY (May 2025: 32,536 units). These include 20,130 Vida e-scooters, up 141% YoY, and an EV penetration of 32%, up from 26% a year ago. Of the three ICE scooters (Destini 125, Pleasure and Xoom), it is understood that the Destini 125 and Xoom are witnessing strong demand. As a result of strong EV sales, Hero MotoCorp continues to make the largest scooter market share gains – 8.42% vs 5.60% in May 2025.
Bajaj Auto, the No. 2 e-2W and e-scooter OEM in India after TVS, dispatched 39,226 units last month, posting 52% YoY growth (May 2025: 25,790 units). These comprise 38,376 Chetaks and 1,350 Yulu e-bikes. This strong performance sees its scooter market share grow to 5% from 4% a year ago.
India Yamaha Motor, with 31,990 units, posted 60% growth to see its market share improve to 4% from 3% a year ago. While the 125cc-engined Fascino and Ray ZR together sold 29,815 units (up 63% YoY), the 155cc Aerox scooter (2,091 units) witnessed 19% growth. Yamaha, the last of the Japanese OEMs to enter the e-scooter arena, dispatched 84 units of the EC-06 to its premium Blue Square showrooms last month.
Ather Energy, which, like TVS, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp, is benefiting from the faster customer transition to EVs as a result of higher petrol prices, sold 26,857 units in May 2026. This is a 67% YoY increase (May 2025: 16,103 units) and gives it a 4% share of the overall scooter market. Demand continues to be strongest for the Rizta family e-scooter, which recently surpassed cumulative sales of 300,000 units and is estimated to account for a third of the company’s sales. The 450X, 450S and 450 Apex make up the remaining 25%.
River Mobility made its debut as a SIAM member company last month. The Bengaluru-based EV startup, which currently manufactures a single product – the Indie e-scooter – dispatched 3,977 units last month, up 234% YoY (May 2025: 1,189 units). Retail sales were 3,765 units for the company, which is now a regular in the Top 10 e-2W list and was ranked No. 7 in May.
Piaggio Vehicles, which markets the Aprilia and Vespa brands of scooters, clocked wholesales of 3,205 units, up 29% YoY (May 2025: 2,485 units).
Will the scooter industry, with its current strong double-digit growth, surpass the 9-million milestone in FY2027? Despite the multiple petrol price hikes in May 2026 due to the West Asia crude oil supply crisis, the growth in ICE scooters (605,871 units) was 21% YoY (500,935 ICE scooters). India’s scooter industry, as a result of strong demand for 125cc ICE models as well as being the volume driver of the e-2W and India EV Inc., seems to have buffered itself against oil shocks and has achieved a momentum that will take more than petrol price hikes to stifle its growth.
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