October 2026 Car Retail Sales Dip 14.23% YoY - Maruti, Tata & Mahindra Lead

Car retail sales October 2026 stood at 5,07,768 units, down 14.23% from 5,92,032 units in October 2025. Month-on-month, volumes rose 18.86% over the 4,27,213 units retailed in September 2026. Retail sales for April to October 2026 rose 16.14% to 30,68,353 units, up from 26,35,837 units in the same period last year.

The festive calendar explains most of the dip, with Dhanteras on November 6 and Diwali on November 8 pushing a large share of festive purchases into November. October 2026 still ranks as the third-highest October for retail sales on record.

Car retail sales in October 2026 were led by petrol/ethanol cars with a 41.60% share, followed by CNG/LPG at 24.59% and diesel at 16.57%. Hybrids (strong and mild) rose to 9.94% and EVs to 7.38%. Urban and rural demand ended on a positive note, growing 20.10% and 16.90% respectively.

Car Retail Sales October 2026: Brand-wise Numbers

Maruti Suzuki retailed 2,11,996 units, down 15.04% from 2,49,521 units a year ago and up 25.34% on September. Its market share stood at 41.75%. Tata Motors overtook Mahindra to take the second position with 73,449 units, down 8.21% YoY. Mahindra retailed 64,982 units, an 11.88% YoY fall, after leading Tata by 89 units in September. The gap between the two stood at 8,467 units, with market shares of 14.47% for Tata and 12.80% for Mahindra.

Hyundai stayed fourth with 58,099 units, down 16.35% from 69,458 units in October 2025, and held an 11.44% share. The Venue recorded its highest ever sales in the month. Kia overtook Toyota with 30,799 units, down 12.99% YoY, for a 6.07% share. Toyota sold 28,727 units against 38,367 units a year ago, a 25.13% fall that cut its share to 5.66%. The VW Skoda Group retailed 9,150 units, down 32.02% from 13,459 units. Its market share slipped to 1.80% from 2.27%.

JSW MG Motor grew 5.25% to 7,082 units for a 1.39% share. Honda Cars fell 29.86% to 5,455 units, while Renault India dropped 31.57% to 3,505 units. Nissan rose 23.56% to 3,273 units, with market share up to 0.64% from 0.45%. VinFast retailed 2,571 units, compared with just 142 units in October 2025.

BMW India grew 6.50% to 1,770 units, ahead of Mercedes-Benz at 1,682 units, which fell 19.02% from 2,077 units. Force Motors sold 1,330 units, up 5.14%, for a 0.26% share. Citroen retailed 862 units against 1,010 units a year ago, while Jeep fell to 217 units from 409 units. BYD India rose to 737 units from 708 units, and Jaguar Land Rover dipped to 472 units from 506 units. Other OEMs added another 1,610 units.