No Joy This Navratri - Passenger Vehicles Registrations Drop By 21.9%

Navratri vehicle registrations in India fell 6.52% year-on-year to 11.23 lakh units between October 11 and October 20, with passenger vehicles recording the steepest drop among all segments.

Provisional data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), updated as of October 21, puts the comparable period last year, September 22 to October 2, at 12.01 lakh units.

Navratri Vehicle Registrations by Segment

Commercial vehicles and tractors were the only two categories to grow. Passenger vehicles fell the hardest, while two-wheelers, the largest segment by volume, slipped 2.79% to 8,34,075 units.

Three-wheeler registrations fell 7.51% to 45,735 units, while commercial vehicles rose 1.12% to 35,618 units. Tractors added 0.89% to reach 22,690 units, and wheeled construction equipment slipped 1.97% to 2,240 units. Against Navratri 2024, total registrations are up 26.76% from 8,85,998 units.

Electric vehicle retail sales grew 26.78% to 1,17,437 units. EVs now accounted for close to 10.5% of total festive sales across all segments this year, up from 7.7% a year ago.

Electric two-wheelers led the volumes with 75,758 units, up 33.41%. Electric passenger vehicles rose 25.97% to 12,305 units, while electric commercial vehicles nearly doubled to 1,288 units from 657.

The decline comes against a high base. GST 2.0 tax rate cuts took effect on the first day of Navratri in 2025 and triggered a buying rush at dealerships. The rate cuts still support demand this year, but the rush has eased.

FADA President Sai Giridhar described the 6.52% dip as largely optical. He Stated,"Navratri'26 tells a fundamentally healthy story. At nearly 11.23 lakh units over ten days, retails are up close to 27% over Navratri'24 - the last truly comparable festive period - with Passenger Vehicles higher by over 10% and Two-Wheelers by more than 32%. The marginal 6.52% dip versus Navratri'25 is largely optical: last year Navratri ran eleven days against ten and coincided with the GST 2.0 roll-out, which pulled a wave of pent-up demand into one extraordinary window.

The real standout is electrification - EV retails grew 26.78% and now account for close to 10.5% of festive sales, up from about 7.7% a year ago, showing that India's EV shift has become self-sustaining. As we enter the Dhanteras-to-Diwali wave, we remain cautiously optimistic: affordability is strong, aspiration is rising, and auto retail continues to mirror the enduring momentum of the India Growth Story."

Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Hyundai Festive Figures

Maruti Suzuki said its Navratri deliveries were around 98% of last year's, with capacity constraints limiting further deliveries. Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales Partho Banerjee told PTI that retail sales from the start of Onam to Dussehra grew around 30% YoY. The carmaker expects double-digit growth for the entire festive season, which runs till Diwali.

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) said it delivered over 50,000 vehicles during Navratri, including more than 10,000 on Dussehra alone. Tata stated that showroom walk-ins, enquiries, bookings and deliveries have all risen this festve season.

Hyundai Motor India said registrations grew 30% YoY between Shradh and Navratri to nearly 41,000 units, with demand steady across urban and rural markets and the firm expects the momentum to continue through Dhanteras and Diwali.