Car & SUV registrations in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu registered 3.87 lakh cars & SUVs in the 12 months to October 2026, 33.9% more than in the 12 months before, even though only those earlier months included Diwali (20 Oct 2025). About 1 in 14 was electric (7.1%, up from 4.6%), the 11th highest of 35 states and territories big enough to rank.
Cars & SUVs: Cars, SUVs, MUVs and taxis: what the industry calls passenger vehicles (PV).
In Tamil Nadu: All vehicles · Two-wheelers · Three-wheelers · Cars & SUVs · Trucks & buses · Electric vehicles
Source: Vahan, the government’s vehicle registration system (Ministry of Road Transport & Highways). Updated 11 November 2026; complete months to October 2026. November 2026 is still being counted and is not included.
- Cars & SUVs registered, 12 months to October 2026
- 3.87 lakh (3,86,636)
- vs the 12 months before
- +33.9%, from 2.89 lakh; Diwali (20 Oct 2025) fell in November 2024–October 2025, not in November 2025–October 2026
- Electric share
- 7.1%, up from 4.6% a year earlier
- Cars & SUVs registered in October 2026
- 30,614, −6.6% vs October 2025; Diwali (20 Oct 2025) fell in October 2025, not in October 2026
How many cars & SUVs did Tamil Nadu register in October 2026?
Tamil Nadu registered 30,614 cars & SUVs in October 2026, 6.6% fewer than in October 2025, the month of Diwali (20 Oct 2025). About 1 in 10 was electric (9.9%, up from 4.4%), the 5th highest of 27 states and territories big enough to rank.
Which car & SUV brands lead in Tamil Nadu?
Maruti Suzuki had 37.1% of car & SUV registrations in Tamil Nadu in the 12 months to October 2026. Of the brands with at least 2% of car & SUV registrations and at least 1,000 in the 12 months before, Tata Motors grew fastest, up 59.4%.
| Brand | Registrations | Share of cars & SUVs | vs last year | Electric share of its registrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Maruti Suzuki | 1.44 lakh (1,43,585) | 37.1% | +30.3% | 0.8% |
| 2. Tata Motors | 49,823 | 12.9% | +59.4% | 21.4% |
| 3. Hyundai | 48,635 | 12.6% | +31.8% | 1.1% |
| 4. Mahindra | 39,525 | 10.2% | +44.9% | 17.4% |
| 5. Toyota | 35,294 | 9.1% | +21.3% | 0.6% |
| 6. Kia | 24,748 | 6.4% | +31.5% | 2.9% |
| 7. Skoda-VW | 9,791 | 2.5% | +13.0% | 0.0% |
| 8. Renault | 8,787 | 2.3% | +41.5% | 0.0% |
| 9. Honda Cars | 8,018 | 2.1% | +12.0% | 0.0% |
| 10. MG | 5,981 | 1.5% | +29.4% | 84.0% |
| 11. Nissan | 4,492 | 1.2% | +39.1% | 0.0% |
| 12. Stellantis (Jeep or Citroën) | 2,705 | 0.7% | +88.4% | 2.3% |
| 13. BMW | 1,384 | 0.4% | +10.5% | 23.2% |
| 14. Mercedes-Benz | 1,153 | 0.3% | +6.7% | 13.2% |
| 15. VinFast | 1,006 | 0.3% | – | 100.0% |
– means too few registrations for a fair figure: under 200 a year earlier for a change, or under 1,000 for an electric share.
How many of the cars & SUVs registered in Tamil Nadu in the 12 months to October 2026 were electric?
7.1% of cars & SUVs registered in Tamil Nadu in the 12 months to October 2026 were electric: 27,410 in all. Full figures: Electric vehicle registrations in Tamil Nadu.
| Brand | Registrations | Share of electric cars & SUVs | vs last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Tata Motors | 10,647 | 38.8% | +106% |
| 2. Mahindra | 6,881 | 25.1% | +151% |
| 3. MG | 5,024 | 18.3% | +43.5% |
| 4. Maruti Suzuki | 1,104 | 4.0% | – |
| 5. VinFast | 1,006 | 3.7% | – |
| 6. Kia | 714 | 2.6% | +232% |
| 7. BYD | 595 | 2.2% | +22.9% |
| 8. Hyundai | 514 | 1.9% | +15.8% |
| 9. BMW | 321 | 1.2% | +13.8% |
| 10. Toyota | 211 | 0.8% | – |
How does Tamil Nadu compare with the rest of India?
Tamil Nadu registered the 4th most cars & SUVs of India’s 36 states and territories in the 12 months to October 2026, 7.3% of India’s total. Its electric share of cars & SUVs, 7.1%, is the 11th highest of 35 (India: 6.3%).
How many cars & SUVs does Tamil Nadu register each month?
| Month | Registrations | vs same month last year | Electric share |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 30,614 | −6.6% | 9.9% |
| September 2026 | 33,800 | +58.4% | 9.0% |
| August 2026 | 33,298 | +42.2% | 7.9% |
| July 2026 | 35,596 | +41.5% | 9.5% |
| June 2026 | 33,234 | +49.3% | 8.4% |
| May 2026 | 27,860 | +38.9% | 6.9% |
| April 2026 | 33,680 | +29.1% | 7.3% |
| March 2026 | 31,608 | +50.6% | 6.1% |
| February 2026 | 28,556 | +44.6% | 4.8% |
| January 2026 | 37,242 | +8.3% | 3.9% |
| December 2025 | 35,002 | +63.5% | 5.6% |
| November 2025 | 26,146 | +24.2% | 5.3% |
| October 2025 | 32,763 | +46.3% | 4.4% |
| September 2025 | 21,343 | −2.4% | 7.0% |
| August 2025 | 23,414 | +4.6% | 5.7% |
| July 2025 | 25,153 | +5.1% | 5.4% |
| June 2025 | 22,262 | +7.5% | 5.7% |
| May 2025 | 20,055 | −8.6% | 5.0% |
| April 2025 | 26,096 | +16.4% | 4.5% |
| March 2025 | 20,991 | −5.1% | 4.6% |
| February 2025 | 19,746 | −14.3% | 3.7% |
| January 2025 | 34,397 | +20.9% | 3.1% |
| December 2024 | 21,407 | +11.1% | 3.3% |
| November 2024 | 21,047 | +10.9% | 3.7% |
Registrations follow the festival calendar: the month of Diwali and the month after are usually the busiest of the year, and Diwali moves between October and November, so a month can look very different from the same month a year earlier. – means too few registrations for a fair figure: under 200 a year earlier for a change, or under 1,000 for an electric share.
About these figures
Are registrations the same as sales?
Not quite. A registration is a new vehicle registered at a transport office (RTO), usually within days of being bought, so registrations are the closest public count of retail sales. They differ from the factory dispatches (wholesale) that makers announce each month, which count vehicles sent to dealers.
How up to date are they?
Updated 11 November 2026. The figures cover every full month up to October 2026. November 2026 is still being counted, so it is left out of every total. Recent months can rise slightly for a few weeks as late registrations arrive.
Which vehicles are counted?
Two-wheelers: motorcycles, scooters and mopeds (bikes and scooters), including electric ones. Three-wheelers: auto-rickshaws for passengers and goods, and e-rickshaws. Cars & SUVs: cars, SUVs, MUVs and taxis: what the industry calls passenger vehicles (PV). Trucks & buses: goods carriers, buses, school buses, ambulances and other commercial vehicles (CV). Tractors, trailers and construction equipment are not counted (about 3% of all registrations).
More answers, including why FADA and company figures differ: how the figures are made.