Maruti Suzuki loses ground as rivals reshape India’s best-selling cars list

Maruti Suzuki

India’s list of top ten best-selling cars is undergoing a notable transformation, with market leader Maruti Suzuki gradually ceding space to rivals amid intensifying competition. From dominating the list with eight models in 2021, the country’s largest carmaker has seen its presence shrink to six models by November 2025 — a position it also ended 2024 with.

While Hyundai has managed to maintain a steady presence in the top ten, India’s homegrown automakers, Tata Motors, and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), have emerged as major disruptors.

Tata Motors has consistently had two models in the top ten since 2022, while M&M broke into the list in 2024 and is set to close 2025 with one model firmly entrenched.

Tata Motors, M&M break into top 10

A major inflection point came in 2024 when Tata Motors’  mini-SUV  Punch ended Maruti Suzuki’s four-decade-long dominance by becoming the first non-Maruti model to top India’s annual sales chart. The shift has continued in 2025.

Between January and November, Hyundai’s Creta and Tata Motors’ Nexon claimed the second and third positions, pushing Maruti out of its traditional domination of the top five.

For 2025, Maruti Suzuki’s models in the top ten include Dzire, Wagon R, Ertiga, Swift, Fronx and Brezza. Tata Motors is represented by its SUV duo, Nexon and Punch, Hyundai by the Creta, and M&M by the Scorpio.

Notably, Maruti’s premium hatchback Baleno failed to make it into the top ten list through November.

Sales volumes for the top ten models range between 160,000 and 215,000 units annually, translating into monthly sales of roughly 13,000 to 18,000 units.

Despite the Indian market’s growing preference for SUVs, Maruti Suzuki’s Dzire has defied the trend. The sedan is expected to end 2025 as India’s best-selling car with sales of around 215,000 units, driven largely by strong demand for its CNG variant. Maruti continues to dominate the CNG segment, offering the widest range of factory-fitted CNG options in the market.

Hyundai’s Creta and Tata Motors’ Nexon are also on track to approach or surpass the 200,000-unit milestone by the end of the year, underscoring the growing strength of midsize SUVs.

Car makers Accelerate Expansion

Competition is set to intensify further as automakers ramp up new launches and upgrades. Tata Motors’ recently launched Sierra SUV reportedly garnered 70,000 expressions of interest on the opening day of bookings, making it one of the company’s most successful launches to date.

At the Sierra’s launch, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Managing Director and CEO Shailesh Chandra said the company expects the model to significantly boost its SUV market share.

“We are today at 16–17% market share in SUVs. With Sierra, we feel confident that we will now be somewhere between 20–25% market share. It should really help us plug the gap that we had in our portfolio,” he said.

Hyundai, too, is seeing strong momentum. “We have received more than 46,000 bookings. Very clearly, we are seeing a 20% upside in volumes from the levels that the old Venue was selling,” Tarun Garg, whole-time director and COO of Hyundai Motor India, told Moneycontrol last week.

Mahindra & Mahindra is also preparing to refresh its portfolio, with a facelift planned for the Scorpio N in 2026. Analysts believe the update will drive incremental volumes for the Scorpio brand, which remains M&M’s best-selling model and a fixture in India’s top ten.

As consumer preferences continue to shift and competition heats up, India’s best-selling cars list appears set for further reshaping in the years ahead.