The Indian passenger vehicle market began a new year with a bang, clocking sales of over 4.5 lakh units in January 2026. It was one of the best January sales for the industry, and the overall sales grew by 12.7 percent compared to the sales of January 2025. While Maruti Suzuki took the lion’s share as usual, Tata Motors overtook Mahindra to become the second-best-selling car brand. Read on to find out the top-selling car brands in India in January 2026, and what made Maruti Suzuki reign supreme.
Why is Maruti Suzuki the Best-Selling Car Brand in January 2026?
Maruti Suzuki has been ruling the roost since the dawn of the Indian car market. As far as sales are concerned, the Indian-Japanese carmaker is far ahead of all other OEMs and holds the largest share of the industry. What makes the Maruti Suzuki the most favoured brand is the fact that it offers qualities that most buyers want, such as affordability, high fuel efficiency, reliability, and cheap maintenance costs. A key contributor to Maruti cars’ sales is the popularity of its CNG cars. A huge chunk of Maruti car sales comes from their CNG cars. In the financial year 2025, Maruti sold 11,48,363 units; out of which, 5,91,730 units were CNG models.
Maruti also adapts well to the market requirements. The carmaker has recently turned its focus towards enhancing the safety standards of its cars. The Maruti Victoris and Maruti Dzire both have bagged a full 5-star rating in the Bharat NCAP safety test, while the iconic Maruti Baleno scored an impressive 4-star rating in the Bharat NCAP safety test. Maruti Suzuki has also begun offering six airbags as standard in many of its cars, such as the Alto K10, Wagon R, Brezza, and more. Meanwhile, the recent GST reforms have cut the prices of Maruti cars by a significant margin, bringing them closer to the reach of buyers.
| Top Selling Car Brands in India | ||||
| Manufacturer | January Sales- 2026 | January Sales- 2025 | Y-O-Y Growth | Market Share |
| Maruti Suzuki | 1,74,529 | 1,73,599 | 0.5% | 38.6% |
| Tata Motors | 70,222 | 48,075 | 46.1% | 15.5% |
| Mahindra | 63,510 | 50,659 | 25.4% | 14.0% |
| Hyundai | 59,107 | 54,003 | 9.5% | 13.1% |
| Toyota Kirloskar | 30,360 | 26,178 | 17% | 6.8% |
| Kia | 27,603 | 25,025 | 10.3% | 6.1% |
| Honda | 6,193 | 6,103 | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| Skoda | 5,739 | 4,133 | 38.9% | 1.3% |
| MG Motor | 4,843 | 4,455 | 8.7% | 0.8% |
| Renault | 3,715 | 2,780 | 33.6% | 0.6% |
Maruti Suzuki: 1,74,529 units
Registering sales of 1,74,529 units in January 2026, Maruti Suzuki continued as the best-selling car brand in India, seeing almost a flat growth in its year-on-year sales. The Indo-Japanese carmaker offered attractive discounts on its cars in January 2026, which added to its sales. Maruti’s all-new SUV, Maruti Suzuki Victoris, has turned out to be an instant success and made its first appearance on the list of best-selling cars in January 2026.
Top 3 sellers of Maruti Suzuki
- Maruti Suzuki Dzire: 19,629 units
- Maruti Suzuki Ertiga: 17,892 units
- Maruti Suzuki Swift: 17,806 units
Tata Motors: 70,222 units
Selling 70,222 units in January 2026, Tata beat Mahindra, taking the spot of the second-best-selling car brand. Moreover, the Tata Nexon became the best-selling car. In the Indian car market, Tata cars stand out with good looks, high passenger safety, and premium ride comfort. In recent years, the Indian carmaker has also diversified its portfolio, adding CNG variants of its best-selling cars and launching a significant number of electric cars.
Tata has recently launched the much-awaited Tata Sierra, which sold 7,003 units – a commendable figure for a newly launched mid-size SUV that competes against more than 10 cars in its segment.
Top 3 sellers of Tata Motors
- Tata Nexon: 23,365 units
- Tata Punch: 19,257 units
- Tata Tiago: 8,349 units
Mahindra: 63,510 units
In January 2026, Mahindra sold 63,510 units, seeing a 25.4 percent year-on-year growth. The Indian carmaker is in its heyday, with all its cars selling in impressive numbers. Fuelling the dream run of Mahindra is the tremendous demand for SUVs, and with a long lineup of SUVs, Mahindra is making the most of this opportune time.
Top 3 sellers of Mahindra
- Mahindra Scorpio: 15,542 units
- Mahindra Thar: 13,418 units
- Mahindra Bolero: 11,841 units
Hyundai: 59,107 units
Selling 59,107 units in January 2026, Hyundai saw a 9.5 percent growth in its year-on-year sales. These days, Hyundai is heavily relying on the Creta’s ever-strong performance. The Creta took the fourth position on the list of best-selling cars in January 2026, while other Hyundai models are underperforming as per expectations. All the same, Hyundai has recently launched the second-generation Hyundai Venue, which greatly complements the Creta in keeping Hyundai among the top five car brands.
Top 3 sellers of Hyundai
- Hyundai Creta: 17,921 units
- Hyundai Venue: 12,413 units
- Hyundai Aura: 7,978 units
Toyota Kirloskar: 30,360 units
Toyota sold 30,360 units in January 2026, seeing an impressive 17 percent growth over the 26,178 units it sold in January 2025. After Hyundai, Toyota is the most successful foreign car brand in India, and its cars are known for high durability, high dependability, and low maintenance costs.
Top 3 sellers of Toyota
- Toyota Innova: 9,455 units
- Toyota Hyryder: 9,156 units
- Toyota Fortuner: 3,046 units
Kia: 27,603 units
Kia sold 27,603 units in January 2026, seeing a 10.3 percent growth over the 25,025 units it sold in the same month last year. The Kia Sonet maintained the title of the best-selling Kia car, while the Kia Carens is also selling quite well. Moreover, the recently launched second-generation Kia Seltos sold in high numbers, becoming the second-best-selling Kia car
Top 3 sellers of Kia
- Kia Sonet: 10,998 units
- Kia Seltos: 10,639 units
- Kia Carens: 5,633 units
Honda: 6,193 units
With only three cars in its portfolio, Honda is consistently pulling enough sales to bag a spot among the top-selling car brands. Last month, the Japanese carmaker sold 6,193 units, seeing a 1.5 percent growth in its year-on-year sales.
Top 3 sellers of Honda
- Honda Amaze: 3,449 units
- Honda Elevate: 2,243 units
- Honda City: 501 units
Skoda: 5,739 units
Skoda is seeing a prosperous time in the Indian market, especially due to the launch of the Skoda Kylaq. Although this was expected as the Czech car brand happened to reveal that they aim to sell 1,00,000 units annually in India with the support of their most affordable SUV, the Kylaq. Rightly so, the Kylaq has given a great boost to Skoda’s sales. Last month, Skoda sold 5,739 units, seeing an impressive 38.9 percent year-on-year growth. The Skoda Kylaq’s share was 56 percent of Skoda’s gross sales, as the compact SUV sold 3,220 units.
Top 3 sellers of Skoda
- Skoda Kylaq: 3,220 units
- Skoda Slavia: 1,946 units
- Skoda Kushaq: 434 units
MG Motor: 6,500 units
After their recently formed joint venture, the JSW group has greatly helped MG Motor with localisation and supply chains. In addition to that, the grand success of the MG Windsor EV, which has become the best-selling electric car in India, has been quite prosperous for MG Motor. In January 2026, MG Motor sold 4,843 units, of which 2,567 units were of the MG Windsor. With such sales, the carmaker saw an 8.7 percent growth in its year-on-year sales. With that being said, it is worth noting that MG Motor is the only car brand in India to have an electric car as its best-selling model. In fact, in January 2026, all the top three selling MG cars are electric cars.
Top 3 sellers of MG Motor
- MG Windsor EV: 2,567 units
- MG ZS EV: 1,093 units
- MG Comet EV: 766 units
Renault: 3,715 units
Selling 3,715 units in January 2026, Renault bagged a spot on the list of top-selling car brands, beating renowned brands like Volkswagen. With such sales, the French carmaker saw a 33.6 percent growth over the 2,780 units it sold in the same month last year.
Renault has recently revealed the new Renault Duster, which will launch in March 2026.
Top 3 sellers of Renault
- Renault Triber: 2,509 units
- Renault Kiger: 703 units
- Renault Kwid: 503 units
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Top selling cars in India | Top selling SUVs in India | Top selling compact SUVs in India
