Bain Survey Finds Technology Now Beats Brand in India's Car-Buying Decision

Bain Survey: Technology Overtakes Brand in India

Technology and vehicle features have become the top consideration for Indian car buyers, ahead of brand, according to Bain and Company's Global Automotive Consumer Survey 2026. The report, based on responses from more than 12,000 buyers across 11 markets in the first quarter of 2026, places service third and price fourth in India, a notable ordering for a price-led market.

Rahul Mishra, a partner at Bain, said the technology bundled with a brand, and how clearly it explains value for money, has become a far stronger differentiator. Buyers are no longer judging a car on its badge alone; they are judging what that badge actually delivers.

Finding (India)	Figure
Top purchase consideration	Technology and features
Buyers who considered only established brands	68% premium, 71% mass-market
Gen Y and Gen Z buyers using AI in the journey	About 90%
Consumers open to buying a BEV	57%
Sceptics citing battery reliability	52%

Brand Trust Has Not Disappeared

The survey does not suggest brand has become irrelevant. It found that 68% of premium buyers and 71% of mass-market buyers considered only established brands during their last purchase. That is a warning for the wave of new entrants arriving in India, from VinFast to a growing list of Chinese-backed brands. Newcomers have to offer something visibly different and then convince buyers the company behind it can be trusted for the life of the car.

Digital research has not replaced the showroom either. More than 80% of buyers worldwide move between online and offline channels, and around nine in ten still complete the purchase at a dealership. In India, 54% of older buyers and 44% of Gen Y and Gen Z buyers had at least two dealer interactions during their journey.

AI and the Electric Question

Artificial intelligence is now part of how Indian buyers research. About 90% of Gen Y and Gen Z respondents and 79% of older buyers said they used AI during their purchase journey, to compare specifications, benchmark prices and explore digital configurators. Bain warns that models absent from AI-generated shortlists risk being excluded before a buyer reaches a showroom.

On electric vehicles, 57% of Indian consumers said they are open to buying a BEV, rising to 61% among Gen Y. The barriers are telling. Among sceptics, 52% cited battery reliability, 44% cited inadequate charging infrastructure, 43% cited charging time and only 32% cited high price. That is a different picture from the West, where cost dominates. Bain also found that 82% of Indians who had test-driven a BEV would consider buying one, against 66% who had not.

What This Means for Buyers

For anyone shopping right now, the survey is a useful mirror. It confirms that a car's feature list, not its badge, increasingly decides whether it is worth the money, and that a test drive is the single most effective way to settle doubts about an electric car. It also confirms that brand still shapes which cars most buyers even look at, so a newer brand has to clear a higher bar. Browse our reviews for feature-by-feature comparisons before you shortlist, and line up two models with the comparison tool.

(Sources: Bain and Company Global Automotive Consumer Survey 2026 released 21 October 2026, Economic Times, Machine Maker. Image credits: Wikimedia Commons contributors, CC BY 3.0 and CC BY-SA 4.0)

::KEY_NUMBERS:: Survey respondents | 12,351 Indian buyers open to a BEV | 57% Sceptics citing battery reliability | 52% Test-drive converts who would consider a BEV | 82% ::TLDR:: Bain's Global Automotive Consumer Survey 2026 ranks technology and features above brand for Indian buyers, with service third and price fourth 68% of premium and 71% of mass-market buyers still considered only established brands Around 90% of Gen Y and Gen Z Indian buyers use AI during the purchase journey 57% of Indian consumers are open to a BEV, rising to 61% among Gen Y ::CHART:: type: bar title: Top barriers for Indian BEV sceptics (%) labels: Battery reliability,Charging infrastructure,Charging time,High price values: 52,44,43,32 source: Bain Global Automotive Consumer Survey 2026 ::TIMELINE:: Q1 2026 | Survey fielded across 11 markets 21 October 2026 | Bain releases Global Automotive Consumer Survey 2026 September 2026 | Electric cars reach 8.3% of Indian passenger vehicle registrations ::GLOSSARY:: BEV | Battery Electric Vehicle, a car that runs only on a battery and electric motor L3 autonomy | a car that can handle most driving tasks in limited conditions but needs the driver to take over when prompted Omnichannel | a purchase journey that moves between online and offline touchpoints ::PULLQUOTE:: Brand still gets a buyer to shortlist a car in India. Technology is increasingly what makes them choose one model over another on that list. ::PROS:: Technology is now the top purchase consideration in India Test drives sharply raise BEV consideration Dealerships still close nine in ten sales AI is becoming a mainstream research tool ::CONS:: Brand loyalty remains a real barrier for new entrants Battery reliability is the biggest EV worry Price sensitivity persists in mass-market segments ::POLL:: What matters most when you buy a car today? || Technology and features || Brand || Price || Service network ::SOURCES:: Bain and Company Global Automotive Consumer Survey 2026, Economic Times