Scooters zoom past motorcycles with 32% jump in October sales as 2-wheeler market growth diverges

India’s scooter market continued to outpace motorcycles in October, with sales rising 31.6% year-on-year to nearly 11 lakh units, even as motorcycle sales grew by a relatively modest 6.6%, highlighting the widening divergence in demand across the two-wheeler segment.

According to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), scooter sales increased to 10,96,756 units in October 2026, compared with 8,33,621 units in the same month last year. Motorcycle sales stood at 14,23,118 units, against 13,35,468 units a year earlier.

The overall two-wheeler industry recorded sales of 25,77,810 units during the month, registering a growth of 16.1% over October 2025. Mopeds accounted for 57,936 units, growing 13% year-on-year.

The company-wise data shows that the scooter segment recorded strong growth across several major manufacturers. Bajaj Auto’s scooter sales increased 87.3% to 65,384 units in October, compared with 34,900 units a year earlier. Hero MotoCorp recorded a 62.7% increase to 1,00,437 units, while TVS Motor Company’s scooter sales rose 44.6% to 2,93,175 units.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India remained the largest scooter manufacturer in the segment, with sales increasing 15% to 4,17,362 units. Suzuki Motorcycle India’s scooter sales grew 20.5% to 1,22,143 units, while Ather Energy recorded a 30.8% increase to 33,786 units.

The motorcycle segment, meanwhile, presented a more mixed picture. Hero MotoCorp’s motorcycle sales increased 11.3% to 6,04,647 units, while Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s sales rose 4.8% to 2,47,469 units. Royal Enfield recorded a 4% increase to 1,21,527 units.

However, Bajaj Auto’s motorcycle sales declined 1.8% to 2,27,501 units, while TVS Motor Company’s motorcycle sales fell 2.4% to 1,63,653 units. Yamaha Motor India’s motorcycle sales increased 46.1% to 54,650 units.

Cumulative performance

The divergence between scooters and motorcycles is also visible in the cumulative April-October numbers. Scooter sales increased 29.8% to 59,61,948 units during the seven-month period, compared with 45,93,889 units in the corresponding period last year.

Motorcycle sales, in comparison, grew 9.8% to 83,51,818 units, against 76,09,412 units in April-October 2025. Moped sales increased 20.1% to 3,50,856 units.

In the scooter segment, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India reported cumulative sales of 20,72,378 units, up from 18,02,060 units a year earlier. TVS Motor Company’s sales increased to 17,23,251 units from 12,83,430 units, while Suzuki Motorcycle India’s sales rose to 7,44,865 units from 6,64,734 units.

Hero MotoCorp’s cumulative scooter sales increased to 5,09,756 units from 3,02,963 units, while Bajaj Auto’s sales more than doubled to 3,26,366 units from 1,55,776 units.

In motorcycles, Hero MotoCorp retained a strong position with cumulative sales of 35,50,575 units, followed by Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India at 16,36,525 units and Bajaj Auto at 11,60,482 units.

The data shows that while the two-wheeler industry continues to expand, growth is significantly stronger in scooters than in motorcycles, both in the monthly and cumulative sales figures.