Domestic brands dominate India's electric scooter market, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha lag
Electric two-wheeler registrations rose 67 percent in August 2026 as Indian makers held a lead the Japanese majors have yet to close
India's electric two-wheeler market has been growing rapidly over the past few years, and domestic companies have moved well ahead of Japanese brands in this growth story. In August 2026, registrations of electric two-wheelers reached about 1.83 lakh units, up 67 percent from the same month last year. Electric models now account for nearly 11 percent of the overall two-wheeler market.
In this expanding market, TVS Motor, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp have built a strong position in the electric segment. Besides them, companies focused solely on electric vehicles, such as Ather Energy and Ola Electric, have also carved out a strong place among customers. These companies benefited from entering the market early, which gave them more time to scale up production, dealer networks, charging infrastructure and service networks.
In the August figures, TVS made full use of its electric models to pull ahead of Honda and other competitors. Its iQube and Orbiter models have been getting a good response from customers. Honda, on the other hand, has entered the electric segment with the Activa:e and QC1, but its sales remain quite limited compared with the brands leading the segment.
The strategy of the Japanese companies appears different here. Honda signalled an expansion of its electric portfolio by launching the QC3 in July 2026. Suzuki's e-Access is also present in the market, but it too has not yet matched the sales of the domestic companies. Yamaha invested in Bengaluru-based River Mobility in 2024 and launched the EC-06, built on River Indie's platform, in February 2026. Yamaha's Aerox EV is also available in the premium segment.
Several reasons are being cited for the comparatively slow start made by the Japanese companies, including product development timelines, the supply of batteries and parts, localisation, charging network build-out and investment priorities. It remains to be seen whether the domestic companies' lead holds, or whether the Japanese brands stage a strong comeback.
