EV News Wrap-Up : 5–11 October 2026

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This week in 30 seconds

  • EV sales nearly doubled: 36,108 electric cars were sold in India in September, up about 95% from last year.
  • Big launches are lined up: Volvo's EX90 and ES90 arrive on 12 October, and VinFast's small VF3 follows around 18–19 October.
  • Festive offers on the e Vitara: a free home charger with installation, plus exchange benefits.
  • Government update: the PM E-DRIVE scheme now runs until March 2028, with 8,147 public chargers approved.
  • Globally: the electric VW ID. Tiguan was revealed, and Tesla opened its first Megacharger site for electric trucks.

Big story: EV sales nearly double in September

India's electric car sales hit 36,108 units in September 2026, according to dealer body FADA. That's up 95% from 18,559 a year ago, and up 18% from August. EVs now make up 8.5% of all new cars sold, compared with 5.7% a year ago.

Brand

Sept 2026 sales

Change vs Sept 2025

Tata Motors

14,791

+101%

Mahindra

7,780

+96%

JSW MG Motor

5,242

+9%

VinFast

2,964

Up from just 6 units

Kia

1,262

+111%

Maruti Suzuki

1,104

Down 22% vs August

BYD

836

+36%

Hyundai

792

+52%

My take: almost one in twelve new cars sold in India is now electric, and the festive season usually pushes numbers higher. VinFast's jump is the surprise. Maruti's numbers are still small, so the e Vitara remains a fairly rare sight on our roads.

Deals this month: e Vitara festive offer

Maruti Suzuki is offering the e Vitara with a free charger and free home installation, plus an exchange bonus of up to ₹30,000 on cars up to 10 years old (₹20,000 on older cars). There's no cash discount. Ex-showroom prices run from ₹16.19 lakh to ₹19.99 lakh. Offers vary by dealer and city, so confirm at your NEXA showroom.

My take: the free installed charger is worth more than it sounds. It's one of the biggest hidden costs of starting out with an EV.


Launching soon in India

This week was quiet for new EV launches in India, but the next two weeks are busy.

Date (expected)

Model

Type

Expected price

Key detail

12 Oct

Volvo ES90

Electric sedan

~₹1 crore

Up to 696 km WLTP range, 10–80% in about 22 minutes on a 350 kW charger

12 Oct

Volvo EX90

Electric 7-seat SUV

~₹1.4 crore

106 kWh battery, up to 625 km WLTP range

13 Oct

e-Sprinto G1

Electric scooter

To be revealed at launch

Claimed range up to 130 km

17 Oct

Renault Duster hybrid

Strong hybrid (not a full EV)

Not announced

Can run in EV mode for much of city driving

18–19 Oct

VinFast VF3

Small electric car

Not confirmed

A compact city EV, India specs to come

4 Nov

Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric

Electric SUV

Not announced

Luxury electric SUV

Dates and prices are as reported by the publications listed under Sources and can change. I'll update you on these launches next week.

My take: the Volvos are for a small luxury audience. The one to watch for everyday buyers is the VinFast VF3. If VinFast prices it sharply, it could become a strong option for short city commutes.

Policy and charging: PM E-DRIVE update

The government's PM E-DRIVE scheme has supported 26.59 lakh EV sales as of June 2026, according to an official update shared on 1 October. The scheme has a budget of ₹11,900 crore and has been extended to March 2028.

  • Public charging: about ₹2,000 crore is set aside for public chargers. By 28 September, ₹851 crore had been approved for 8,147 chargers, run by three oil marketing companies across 10 states.
  • Electric buses: around 14,000 e-buses are allocated, mostly to seven cities, including Pune and Mumbai.
  • Two-wheelers: e-scooters priced up to ₹1.5 lakh still get ₹2,500 per kWh, capped at ₹5,000 per vehicle.

My take: there's no subsidy for electric cars in this scheme. It mainly helps through more public chargers. For Pune readers, more e-buses on our roads is good news for air quality.

Around the world

  • Volkswagen ID. Tiguan revealed: the electric version of the popular Tiguan SUV debuted with a claimed WLTP range of 373 miles (about 600 km).
  • BMW iX3 M60: BMW revealed a 603 hp performance version of its new electric iX3.
  • Tesla's first Megacharger opens: Tesla's first pilot charging site for its electric Semi truck is now running in Georgia, USA.
  • VW ID.4 battery recall: a recall limits charging on some ID.4s to 80% until the battery issue is fixed.
  • BMW survey: drivers say they want much more range than their daily driving actually needs.

My take: that BMW finding matches my own experience. My weekly driving is about 330 km, and most days I use only a small fraction of the e Vitara's range. Range anxiety is mostly about the rare long trip.

Your turn

Which launch are you watching: the VinFast VF3 for the city, or one of the Volvos? And if you're thinking of buying an EV this festive season, what's holding you back? Tell me in the comments.

The EV News Wrap-Up goes up every Sunday. Follow eVSafar.in by email so you don't miss the next one, and subscribe to eVSafar.in on YouTube for the video version.

Cleaner Roads — Brighter Tomorrows.

Prices, dates and offers are as reported by the sources below at the time of writing, and can change. Please confirm with the manufacturer or dealer before buying.

Sources

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