Tata Punch EV holds off Mahindra XEV 9S by 45 units in October

The Tata Punch EV was India's best-selling electric car in October with 4,801 registrations, according to ElecTree data collected on 4 November. The Mahindra XEV 9S followed with 4,756. That is a gap of 45 cars in a market of 37,099. Their shares were 12.9% and 12.8%, close enough for a late registration update to change the picture.

The Punch EV costs ₹9.79 lakh to ₹12.99 lakh ex-showroom after a September price rise, with a claimed range of 355 km on the 30 kWh pack and 468 km on the 40 kWh pack. The seven-seat XEV 9S is listed from ₹19.95 lakh to ₹29.45 lakh. At the entry level, the Mahindra costs about twice as much, or roughly ₹10 lakh more.

Behind the two leaders, the Tata Nexon EV registered 3,562 units, a 9.6% share. The MG Windsor EV was fourth with 3,127, or 8.4%. Together, ElecTree's top four accounted for 43.8% of October's registrations. The gap between third and fourth, 435 units, was nearly 10 times the gap between first and second.

October's order does not match the year so far. One secondary tally for January to September puts the Windsor EV first with 34,012, ahead of the Punch EV at 27,923, the Nexon EV at 27,062 and the XEV 9S at 25,943. The same report calls these figures indicative. In the first half of 2026, the Punch EV was only fourth, with 15,683 units.

Autocar India counted 36,911 electric cars in October, up 76% from 20,954 a year earlier and the second-highest month after September's 38,335. Tata led with 14,654 units. Mahindra sold a record 8,541, up 86% from 4,598. MG's 5,938 units gave it a 16% share, down from 26%, while VinFast reached 2,570.

Published October totals range from 35,777 to 37,099, partly because Vahan registrations keep updating and the download date matters. Wholesale numbers measure something else. They count cars sent to dealers, not cars registered. On that basis, AutoPunditz reported that the Punch EV crossed 5,000 units in October, up from 4,702 in September. The two kinds of figures should not be compared directly.

Electric car sales reached 2,93,877 units in the first 10 months of 2026, Autocar India reported. The next test comes when November's Vahan data arrives. With 45 units between them, the Punch EV and XEV 9S could swap places on a small change in deliveries. Check the final October count before quoting the gap as settled.