FADA Navratri 2026: Auto Retail at 11.23 Lakh Units, EVs Jump 26.78%

FADA Navratri 2026: A Record Against 2024, a Dip Against 2025

India retailed 11,23,086 vehicles during Navratri 2026, spanning 11 to 20 October, according to provisional data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). That is 6.52% lower than the 12,01,479 units sold over Navratri 2025, but 26.76% higher than the 8,85,998 units of Navratri 2024. The numbers were collated from 1,468 of 1,469 regional transport offices as of 21 October.

The year-on-year dip needs context. Navratri ran for eleven days in 2025 against ten this year, and last year's festival opened on the very day the GST 2.0 rate cuts came into force, which pulled a wave of waiting buyers into showrooms at once. On a per-day basis, FADA's totals work out to roughly 1,12,300 vehicles a day this year against about 1,09,200 last year, a gain of close to 3%.

FADA Navratri 2026 Segment Breakdown

Segment	Navratri 2026	vs 2025	vs 2024
Two-wheelers	8,34,075	-2.79%	+32.41%
Passenger vehicles	1,82,728	-21.91%	+10.39%
Three-wheelers	45,735	-7.51%	+19.04%
Commercial vehicles	35,618	+1.12%	+16.47%
Tractors	22,690	+0.89%	+20.21%
Total	11,23,086	-6.52%	+26.76%

Passenger vehicles were the clear weak spot, down 21.91% year on year to 1,82,728 units, because cars benefited most from last year's price cuts and now face the toughest comparison. Two-wheelers, at 8,34,075 units, carried the market and still grew 32.41% over 2024.

The EV Story: 1.17 Lakh Units and Rising

Electric vehicles were the standout. EV retail rose 26.78% year on year to 1,17,437 units and 83.06% over Navratri 2024. EVs accounted for about 10.5% of festive sales, up from roughly 7.7% a year earlier. Electric two-wheelers climbed 33.41% to 75,758 units, electric three-wheelers 10.51% to 28,086, and electric passenger vehicles 25.97% to 12,305. Electric commercial vehicles nearly doubled to 1,288 units. FADA president Sai Giridhar said the shift has become self-sustaining, though dealers continue to flag that EV supply is not keeping pace with demand.

What This Means for You

If you are shopping in the Dhanteras-to-Diwali window, expect dealers to push hard to clear stock, particularly on passenger vehicles, where FADA has flagged inventory near a one-year high. That usually means better discounts on cars than on two-wheelers, which are still selling briskly. For EV buyers, the data confirms that demand is real, so if a particular electric model is on your list, book early rather than assuming year-end offers will improve availability.

(Sources: FADA Navratri 2026 provisional vehicle retail data, released 21 October 2026; ETAuto, 21 October 2026. Images: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.)

::KEY_NUMBERS:: Total retail | 11,23,086 units vs Navratri 2025 | -6.52% vs Navratri 2024 | +26.76% EV retail | 1,17,437 units (+26.78%) ::TLDR:: Overall retail fell 6.52% year on year against a high 2025 base The fall is largely optical, since Navratri 2025 ran an extra day and GST 2.0 pulled demand forward EV retail rose 26.78% to 1.17 lakh units, or about 10.5% of festive sales Passenger vehicles were the weakest segment, down 21.91% year on year ::CHART:: type: bar title: Navratri 2026 retail by segment (units) labels: 2W,PV,3W,CV,Tractors values: 834075,182728,45735,35618,22690 source: FADA Navratri 2026 provisional data ::TIMELINE:: 22 Sep 2025 | Navratri 2025 opened as GST 2.0 took effect 11 Oct 2026 | Navratri 2026 window began 21 Oct 2026 | FADA released provisional retail data ::GLOSSARY:: FADA | the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations, which tracks dealer retail sales GST 2.0 | the 2025 rate reset that lowered car prices and pulled demand forward Retail sales | vehicles registered to buyers, not wholesale dispatches ::PULLQUOTE:: FADA calls the year-on-year dip largely optical, pointing instead to the 26.76% jump over Navratri 2024 and the rise of electric vehicles to more than a tenth of festive sales. ::POLL:: Will the Dhanteras-to-Diwali window beat Navratri 2026 for car sales? || Yes, clearly higher || About the same || No, it will be weaker ::SOURCES:: FADA Navratri 2026 provisional retail data, ETAuto