E-Vehicles vs Fuel Vehicles: India’s automobile market is rapidly changing as people choose different types of vehicles for daily use. One big question asked by many is: Which sector has more vehicles — electric vehicles (EVs) or fuel-powered vehicles?
Fuel-powered vehicles — those that run on petrol, diesel, CNG or other conventional fuels — have the highest number of vehicles in India. In 2024 alone, out of approximately 26.04 million vehicles sold, nearly 19.18 million (about 73.7%) were petrol and around 2.62 million (10.1%) were diesel vehicles. Other fuel types (including hybrid and CNG) made up a small portion, but overall, the fuel segment still leads by a big margin.
This shows that for every electric vehicle sold, more than 10 fuel-powered vehicles were sold in the same year, meaning internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles are far more common on Indian roads.
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Fast Growth of Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles are growing fast in India, but their total number is still much smaller than that of fuel vehicles. Government data shows that as of February 2025, India had about 56.75 lakh registered EVs.
As of now, there are nearly 400 million total vehicles registered in India, including passenger vehicles, two-wheelers, commercial vehicles and more. This means EVs make up only a small share of the total vehicle numbers.
Even looking at growth over several years, EVs accounted for around 3.38% of total vehicle registrations between April 2019 and March 2024.
Two-Wheelers Lead EV Segment
Within the electric sector, two-wheelers and three-wheelers make up most EV registrations. Two-wheelers, such as e-scooters and electric bikes, contribute a big share of the overall EV count because they are more affordable and practical for daily use.
Three-wheelers — especially e-rickshaws and electric auto-rickshaws — are also popular, with India becoming one of the largest markets in the world for electric three-wheelers. This shows that while EV cars are still fewer in number, smaller electric vehicles are driving growth in the EV sector.
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Why Fuel Vehicles Still Lead?
Fuel vehicles have been in India for decades, with a large existing fleet of cars, trucks, buses and bikes. They are popular because of long-standing infrastructure, easy fuel availability, and lower initial costs compared to many electric models. Public charging infrastructure for EVs is expanding but still limited in many areas, which slows down adoption.
What Is the Future?
Although fuel vehicles still dominate in number, the electric vehicle sector is growing fast. Many experts believe that EVs will continue to gain a larger share of the market in the coming years. Fuel vehicles currently win by big numbers in India, but the EV sector is steadily rising as a more sustainable and future-focused alternative.
