Ev vs hybrid cars: Currently, India’s automobile sector stands at an interesting turn. On the one hand, petrol, diesel and CNG trains are traditional domination, on the other hand electric and hybrid vehicles are gradually drawing customers’ attention. But the question is, what kind of vehicles did Indians like the most? Statistics show that even now Ice i.e. internal combustion engine -powered vehicles, including petrol, diesel and CNG, are selling the best.
In FY 2025, India’s top 14 car brands together sold more than 43.20 lakh vehicles. This number is a proof in itself that the demand for private vehicles in the Indian market remains continuously. The most important thing in these figures is that 94.89% of the total sales have still been running with petrol, diesel or CNG. This simply means that despite the increasing discussion of electric and hybrid segments, people are currently relying more on traditional fuels. Let’s know about the detailed report on this subject –
Petrol cars dominate
If we only talk about petrol cars, then this year has been the most successful for them. 24.84 lakh petrol vehicles sold in FY 2025, which is 57.5% of the total sales. That is, one of every two vehicles was running on petrol. These vehicles are considered economical and convenient for small and medium families in cities.
Maruti Suzuki was the biggest stake in the sale of these petrol vehicles. The company sold 11.48 lakh petrol vehicles this year, making it the leader of the segment. Cars like Maruti’s Alto, Swift, Baleno, Brezza and Fronx were extremely popular in petrol variants.
CNG also increased popularity of trains
Due to rising petrol and diesel prices, a large section is now turning to CNG vehicles. FY 2025 sold 8.38 lakh CNG vehicles, which is about 19.4% of the total market.
The low running cost of CNG vehicles and relatively less harmful effects towards the environment has made them quite popular especially in the metro cities and taxi markets. In this area too, Maruti Suzuki won the segment with the sale of 5.91 lakh CNG vehicles.
Diesel vehicles decreased but strong hold
Although sales of diesel vehicles have declined due to the implementation of BS-VI norms in the country and the closure of its diesel portfolio, but diesel remains a strong option in the SUV segment.
In FY 2025, 7.73 lakh diesel vehicles were sold. The contribution of MahindR Motors was the most important in this. The company alone sold 4.25 million diesel SUVs, including popular models such as Scorpio-N, XUV700 and Thar.
Sale of electric vehicles gradually increased
Now let’s talk about EV i.e. electric vehicles. Even though their number is currently much less than traditional vehicles, their share is increasing year after year. In FY 2025, 1.15 lakh electric cars were sold. For the first time this number has crossed the sale of hybrid vehicles, which proves that customers in India are now considering EV as a reliable option. Tata Motors was at the forefront of the EV segment, selling 61,443 electric cars. Models like the company’s Nexon Ev, Tiago EV and Punch Ev were very popular.
Hybrid vehicles also showed strength
After electric vehicles, if the most discussion is about any technology, then it is hybrid vehicles. These vehicles come with both traditional engine and battery motor, making these fuel efficiency and low-emissions balance. Sale of 1.04 lakh hybrid vehicles was recorded in India this year. This shows that there are some classes that are not ready to fully adopt the EV, but are giving priority to hybrid vehicles in desire for low cost and better mileage.
In the hybrid segment, Hyundai has strengthened its hold in this category by selling the maximum 82,848 units. Hybrid models like the company’s Tucson and Verna received good customers’ response.
Customer choice reasons
Indian customers are still looking for options that are sustainable, easy to maintain and prove to be reliable in long distance journey. Petrol vehicles remain their first choice with these characteristics. On the other hand, CNG is considered a cheap and environmentally friendly option. While diesel is still the most appropriate option for SUV lovers. EV and hybrid vehicles are attracting them who want to prioritize technology as well as environment. However, there are still challenges such as charging infrastructure and high early costs in adopting the EV.
Challenges in the path of EV and Hybrid
The cost of EV trains is still higher than petrol or diesel cars. Also, the availability of charging stations in small cities and villages of the country is very limited. This is the reason that a large number of customers are still keeping distance from electric vehicles.
The price of hybrid trains is also as much as EV or less than that, but no special subsidy is given by the government. Due to which this option proves a bit expensive for the common people.
Schemes like FAME being run by the government, increasing number of charging stations and the fall in the cost of batteries are expected to increase the sales of EV vehicles in the coming years.
Many companies have already announced that they will shift to electric portfolio completely by 2030. According to auto experts, awareness is now increasing among consumers and the sense of fulfilling the responsibility towards the environment is attracting them towards EV and Hybrid.
Even though the sale of electric and hybrid vehicles has improved in FY 2025, the dominance of ICE vehicles is still intact. Trains operating petrol, diesel and CNG hold about 95% of the total sales. Among them, petrol cars are also in the first place.
EV and hybrid vehicles are gradually winning the confidence of customers and in the near future they can achieve a large share in the market. Currently, Indian customers are giving priority to low prices, reliable engines and easy maintenance, so the demand for ice vehicles will remain.
