India’s automobile retail sales fell 6.52% on year during Navratri to 1.12 million units, largely due to an unusually high base last year when the GST 2.0 rollout brought forward pent-up demand.

However, sales were up 26.76% from Navratri 2024, while electric vehicle (EV) retail sales rose 26.78% on year, indicating sustained demand and a continuing shift towards electric mobility, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said on Wednesday.

Total vehicle retail sales during the ten-day Navratri period from October 11 to October 20 stood at 1.12 million units, compared with 1.20 million units during the corresponding period last year. Navratri covered 11 days in 2025, against ten days this year, limiting direct comparison.

Passenger vehicle retail sales declined 21.91% on year to 182,728 units, while two-wheeler sales fell 2.79% to 834,075 units. Three-wheeler sales dropped 7.51% to 45,735 units. Commercial vehicle sales, however, rose 1.12% to 35,618 units, while tractor registrations increased 0.89% to 22,690 units. Wheeled construction equipment sales declined 1.97% to 2,240 units.

The electric mobility segment remained a key growth driver. EV retail sales reached 117,437 units during Navratri, up from 92,628 units a year earlier. Two-wheeler EV sales increased 33.41% to 75,758 units, while passenger vehicle EV sales rose 25.97% to 12,305 units. Commercial vehicle EV sales nearly doubled, increasing 96.04% to 1,288 units. Three-wheeler EV sales grew 10.51% to 28,086 units. EVs accounted for around 10.5% of total festive retail sales, compared with approximately 7.7% a year ago.