The TVS Raider 125, launched in India on September 16, 2021, has completed 4 years today. TVS aimed to carve a niche with the Raider by giving it a sporty edge, and it has turned out to be a great decision. The sales numbers are a testament to that.
- Since its launch, the Raider 125 has comprised 39 percent of TVS’s motorcycle sales
- But demand has moderated, with the Raider’s FY25 sales at 4 lakh units, down 16 percent YoY
- The Raider rivals the Hero Xtreme 125R, Bajaj Pulsar N125 and Honda CB125 Hornet
TVS Raider was launched in 2021
It essentially pioneered the sporty commuter segment that has since seen an onset of newer rivals from Hero, Bajaj and Honda.
From its launch until the end of August 2025, the premium, tech-laden Raider 125 commuter motorcycle has sold 16,04,355 units, or over 1.60 million units, comprising 1.35 million units in the domestic market and over 2.45 lakh units in exports. In India, from its launch until August 2025, the Raider 125 has accounted for 39 percent of TVS’ cumulative motorcycle sales of 3.52 million units.
Monthly sales in the last six months of FY2022 averaged over 12,000 units for a total of 76,742 units and rose 212 percent year on year (YoY) to record total sales of just under 2.40 lakh in the following fiscal. In FY2024, the Raider 125 earned the distinction of being TVS’s bestselling bike, with sales doubling to 4.78 lakh units – over 1 lakh units ahead of the TVS Apache series.
However, since then, there has been a moderation in demand for this motorcycle, which is part of a competitive category that it once pioneered – the sporty 125cc commuter segment. Since its launch, it has witnessed an onset of new models that include the Hero Xtreme 125R, Bajaj Pulsar N125 and, more recently, the Honda CB125 Hornet.
The Raider 125’s sales in FY2025 stand at just under 4 lakh units, down 16 percent YoY, and its performance in the first five months of FY2026, at over 1.30 lakh units, is also lagging behind last year’s sales numbers by 9 percent. The Honda Shine, which has sold over 5.71 lakh units in the April-July 2025 period, is the segment leader by a huge margin and over all its key rivals, including the Raider. However, it is worth mentioning that the Shine 125 is a commuter in the traditional sense, whereas the Raider takes a radical approach.
On the export front, over 2.45 lakh TVS Raiders have been shipped to overseas markets by the end of August 2025. The best fiscal year for exports was FY2025, with over 71,000 units, up 31 percent YoY. In the first five months of FY2026, an estimated 37,000 units have been exported, which means the current fiscal could turn out to be the Raider 125’s best year yet.
With GST 2.0 reducing the tax on two-wheelers under 350cc to 18 percent from 28 percent, the TVS Raider 125, along with the rest of TVS’s petrol-powered range and the entire two-wheeler market, would benefit from a lower sticker price, which should help boost sales.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
