The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) released provisional vehicle retail data for the Navratri'26 period, covering October 11-20, 2026. Total vehicle retails reached 11,23,086 units during the ten-day festival period, representing a 26.76% increase compared to Navratri'24's 8,85,998 units, though showing a marginal 6.52% decline from Navratri'25's 12,01,479 units. FADA President Mr. Sai Giridhar attributed the year-on-year decline to the optical effect of Navratri'25 spanning eleven days instead of ten and coinciding with the GST 2.0 rollout, which created an extraordinary demand window.
Category-wise performance showed two-wheelers leading with 8,34,075 units, down 2.79% from Navratri'25 but up 32.41% from Navratri'24. Passenger vehicles recorded 1,82,728 units, declining 21.91% from the previous year but growing 10.39% from two years prior. Commercial vehicles showed modest growth at 35,618 units, up 1.12% year-on-year and 16.47% from Navratri'24. Three-wheelers reached 45,735 units (down 7.51% YoY, up 19.04% from '24), tractors 22,690 units (up 0.89% YoY, 20.21% from '24), and wheeled construction equipment 2,240 units (down 1.97% YoY, down 16.45% from '24).
The standout performance came from electric vehicles, with total EV retails growing 26.78% to 1,17,437 units compared to Navratri'25. EV two-wheelers reached 75,758 units (up 33.41% YoY), EV three-wheelers 28,086 units (up 10.51% YoY), EV commercial vehicles 1,288 units (up 96.04% YoY), and EV passenger vehicles 12,305 units (up 25.97% YoY). EVs now account for approximately 10.5% of festive sales, up from about 7.7% a year ago, indicating what FADA describes as a "self-sustaining" EV shift in India.
The data was collated as of October 21, 2026, in collaboration with the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, gathered from 1,468 out of 1,469 RTOs across India. However, vehicle registration data for three-wheelers, commercial vehicles, and tractor categories were not available for Telangana state. FADA remains cautiously optimistic for the upcoming Dhanteras-to-Diwali period, citing strong affordability, rising aspiration, and auto retail mirroring the momentum of the India Growth Story.