Two-wheeler retail sales fall 28.35% in October to 23.21 lakh units as festivals shift to November

Retail sales of two-wheelers in the country fell 28.35% to 23,21,419 units in October 2026, according to data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). In October last year, 32,39,949 two-wheelers were registered.

Despite the year-on-year fall, October registered a 29.67% rise over September 2026, when 17,90,188 two-wheelers were registered at retail. According to FADA, it was the second-best October ever for the two-wheeler industry. Two-wheelers accounted for about 73% of total vehicle registrations in October.

The timing of festivals is being cited as the reason for the fall. Last year, both Navratri and Diwali fell in October. Many customers had also bought early because of the tax cut under GST 2.0, which came into effect on September 22, 2025. This year Navratri fell in October, but Dhanteras and Diwali fall in November. This affected the year-on-year figures.

Two-wheeler registrations in villages dropped 33.97%, while cities saw a decline of 20.77%. Even so, rural customers accounted for 52.9% of the overall market. During Navratri, 8,40,696 units were registered, only 2.02% fewer than 8,58,027 units a year earlier. In FY2027, total two-wheeler retail sales between April and October rose 7.81% to 1,33,79,362 units.

Among companies, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India was first with 6,37,630 registrations and a 27.47% market share. Hero MotoCorp had 5,98,433 units and a 25.78% share. TVS Motor registered 4,58,303 units, Bajaj Auto 2,09,634, Royal Enfield 1,23,982 and Suzuki 1,20,931.

Electric two-wheelers held a 9.65% share in October, up from 4.66% in October 2025, though lower than the 11.58% share in September 2026. Ather Energy registered 31,833 units and Ola Electric 12,098. With Diwali and Dhanteras falling in November, the picture of festive buying is expected to become clearer.