Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha e-scooter sales cross 10,000 units in 2026

Cumulative retail sales of the three Japanese electric scooter manufacturers in India – Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha – have crossed the 10,000-unit mark for the first time in a calendar year. As per the latest Vahan statistics, this triumvirate has delivered 10,735 units between January 1 and October 8 in 2026. 

Last year, Honda, which was the only Japanese e-two-wheeler (e2W) OEM in India, sold 7,730 units of the Activa-e and QC1, fewer of the former and more of the latter. While Suzuki entered the market in January 2026 with its e-Access, Yamaha plugged in two months later with its EC-O6. This makes 2026 the first year when all these three Japanese OEMs are part of the Indian electric scooter market.

A look at the OEMs’ monthly performance reveals that Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India sold 5,536 units this year to date, accounting for over 51 percent of the total 10,735 Japanese e-scooters delivered. HMSI’s best monthly sales this year were in September (1,107 units), marking the first time the OEM crossed 1,000 units. This number can only improve following the recent launch of its third e-scooter for India, the QC3. 

The initial rollout of the QC3 will be limited to five cities across the country – Delhi, Agra, Cuttack, Surat and Kollam – with a nationwide rollout to follow in a phased manner. 

Suzuki Motorcycle India, which introduced e-Access as an alternative to the popular petrol-engined Suzuki Access 125, has delivered 4,133 units of the EV till October 8. This gives the company a 39 percent share of the three Japanese OEMs’ total e2W retail sales. Its sales crossed 600 units for three months running: July (606 units), August (674 units) and September (657 units). These figures are rather commendable considering that this is an expensive product, priced at Rs 1.88 lakh (ex-showroom) and the costliest among the Japanese EVs.

India Yamaha Motor has retailed 1,066 units so far, which gives it a 10 percent share of the 10,735 units delivered by Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. Yamaha’s vehicle of entry is the EC-06, its first electric scooter developed in collaboration with River Mobility. Its highest monthly sales to date were in September (232 units).

Japanese OEMs have 0.66 percent share of e2Ws sold in 2026 so far

The combined sales of Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha were at their highest in September 2026 (1,996 units), giving them a 1 percent share of the record 2,07,850 e2Ws sold in India last month. Of the total 16,10,854 e2Ws sold between January 1 and October 8, these three Japanese OEMs, with 10,735 units, have a meagre 0.66 percent share.

Among the reasons for their minimal presence in this booming segment of the Indian EV industry is that they entered the e2W market late compared to their ICE legacy rivals TVS Motor Co (January 2020), Bajaj Auto (January 2020) or Hero MotoCorp with Vida (November 2022).

While market leader TVS sold 4,22,274 iQubes and Orbiters for a 26 percent market share of the e2W sales in 2026 to date, Bajaj Auto delivered 3,61,988 Chetaks (22 percent share), Ather Energy 2,67,579 units (17 percent share) and Hero Vida 1,77,541 e-scooters (11 percent share).

There is also the issue of their stiff model pricing in a value-conscious market packed with a plethora of more affordable e-scooters that are also more tech-laden. Besides, they have a limited sales network compared to the Indian legacy OEMs and a host of startups, both of which are regulars in the monthly top 10 e2W OEM rankings.