Electric Two-Wheeler Sales Rise 2.3% in India amid Shift in Buyer Behaviour: FADA

Sales of electric two-wheelers in India grew 2.3 per cent in April 2026, according to data published by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations of India (FADA), as a combination of subsidies, rising petrol prices and greater model choice continued to nudge buyers away from conventional scooters and motorcycles. According to FADA, the uptick was attributed to several factors, including the PM E-Drive subsidies reducing the upfront cost burden, lower running and maintenance expenses compared to petrol equivalents, and growing concern over fuel prices linked to instability in the Middle East. 

The expanding range of electric models from manufacturers has also given buyers options that did not exist a few years ago.

Pricing has become a notably smaller barrier than it once was. The Honda Activa, arguably the best-selling petrol scooter in the country, starts at ₹75,583 ex-showroom, while the Hero Vida VX2Go, an electric rival, is priced from ₹77,590. The gap is now narrow enough that the total cost of ownership calculation increasingly favours the electric option.

The petrol two-wheeler segment's market share fell from 94.32 per cent in April 2025 to 92.17 per cent in April 2026, a decline of roughly 2.15 percentage points. That slide came despite a GST revision to 18 per cent for bikes with engine displacements below 350cc, a measure that might otherwise have supported petrol segment volumes. High absolute sales figures from Hero MotoCorp (5.66 lakh units), TVS (4.55 lakh units), Bajaj Auto (4.39 lakh units) and Royal Enfield (1.13 lakh units) did little to reverse the segment's shrinking share of the overall market.

CNG two-wheelers, meanwhile, have failed to gain meaningful traction. Their market share slipped from 0.22 per cent in April 2025 to just 0.07 per cent in April 2026, a fall of 0.15 percentage points that leaves the technology looking increasingly marginal in a market polarising between petrol and electric.