September is usually a quiet month before the big festive season kicks in. But September 2026 still had plenty going on.

Maruti Suzuki stayed far ahead of everyone, as always. Tata and Mahindra had one of their closest battles ever for second place. And Kia quietly posted strong sales numbers last month, even as most major automakers saw a dip compared to August.

September 2026 at a Glance

  1. Total passenger vehicle wholesales reached approximately 400,000 units, remaining nearly unchanged compared to August.
  2. Maruti Suzuki stayed No. 1, up more than 27% from last year
  3. Tata Motors beat Mahindra for second place by just 227 units
  4. Kia was the only big brand to grow both from last month and from last year
  5. Four of the top five carmakers sold fewer cars than in August

Brand-Wise Car Sales in September 2026

Rank Brand Sep 2026 Aug 2026 Change vs Aug Change vs Sep 2025
1 Maruti Suzuki 1,68,744 1,76,971 -4.65% +27.05%
2 Tata Motors 56,972 65,253 -12.69% -4.52%
3 Mahindra 56,745 59,257 -4.2% +0.91%
4 Hyundai 49,998 54,396 -8.1% -3.01%
5 Kia 32,017 29,042 +10.2% +41.04%

How Each Brand Did

1. Maruti Suzuki: Still Miles Ahead

No surprise here. Maruti Suzuki remained India’s largest carmaker in September with 1,68,744 units, up over 27 percent from 1,32,820 units in the year-ago period. That’s still more than Tata, Mahindra and Hyundai put together, even though sales dipped a little from August.

The real story inside Maruti’s numbers is SUVs. Sales of its utility vehicles, including the Brezza, Ertiga, e Vitara, Fronx, Grand Vitara, Invicto, Jimny, Victoris and XL6, increased 62.05% to 78,911 units in September 2026 from 48,695 units a year ago. Its smaller cars grew too, just not as fast.

Counting exports, Maruti’s total sales grew 24.44% to 236,013 units in September 2026.

2. Tata Motors: Second Place, But Only Just

Tata held on to the No. 2 spot, but it was tight. Tata Motors recorded domestic passenger vehicle sales of 56,972 units in September, down 4.5 percent from 59,667 units in the same month last year. Sales also declined 12.7 percent from August 2026.

Tata has had a strong year so far, mostly thanks to the Punch and Nexon. But September was a slower month for the brand, and Mahindra is now right behind it.

3. Mahindra: Just 227 Units Behind

Tata Motors and Mahindra differed by just 227 units, which is about as close as it gets in a month where both sold over 56,000 cars.

Mahindra sold 56,745 units, less 4.2 percent from 59,257 units in August, where sales were up 0.91 percent year on year from 56,233 units. SUVs like the Scorpio, Thar, XUV 3XO and XUV700 continue to do most of the heavy lifting.

4. Hyundai: A Dip at Home, a Record Overall

Hyundai‘s home sales slipped in September. The company posted a fall, with a decline of three percent year on year and also an eight percent decrease on a month-on-month basis.

But there’s good news when you add exports. Hyundai said it closed September 2026 with its highest-ever total monthly sales of 77,916 units (domestic + exports), registering 10.8% YoY growth. So Hyundai is doing well overall; it’s just shipping more cars abroad.

5. Kia: The Star of the Month

Kia was the clear winner of September. Kia was the only manufacturer to record both month-on-month and year-on-year growth in September. It sold 32,017 units, up 10.2 percent from August and 41 percent from September 2025.

New launches helped. During the month, Kia launched the Carens CNG and Carens Clavis CNG, extended automatic options to lower-spec Carens Clavis variants and launched the Sorento in India.

Other Brands

  1. Renault: Renault was one of only two manufacturers to record month-on-month growth in September, with 3,399 units, up 19.6 percent from August but down 20.3 percent from September 2025.
  2. MG Motor: JSW MG Motor India recorded sales of 8,018 units, and introduced Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) for the Cyberster and M9, reducing their upfront prices while adding a per-kilometre battery rental fee.

Dispatches vs Registrations: Why the Numbers Look Different

You might see different September numbers on different websites. That’s because there are two ways to count car sales:

  1. Wholesales (dispatches): cars sent from the factory to dealers. This is what the table above shows.
  2. Registrations (Vahan data): cars actually registered by buyers on the road.

And in September, the two told slightly different stories. Vahan registrations reached 4,20,359 units, up 31.8% year-on-year from 3,18,907 units in September 2025. So more people were actually buying cars than the flat factory numbers suggest.

Registrations also flipped the Tata vs Mahindra fight. Mahindra registered 57,817 units during September, representing 35.5% YoY growth, and finished only 1,661 units ahead of Tata Motors. So depending on how you count, either brand can claim second place.

For Reference: Top 10 Cars in August 2026

Until September’s list arrives, here’s how the top 10 looked last month. These models usually stay near the top, so it gives a good idea of what’s popular right now.

Rank

Model

Aug 2026 Sales

1

Tata Punch

21,320

2

Maruti Wagon R

20,180

3

Maruti Swift

19,832

4

Maruti Fronx

18,730

5

Maruti Ertiga

18,516

6

Tata Nexon

18,431

7

Maruti Dzire

18,418

8

Hyundai Creta

16,288

9

Maruti Baleno

15,746

10

Mahindra Scorpio

15,576

Tata Punch took back the number one spot in August 2026. Tata Punch sold 21,320 units. The ten best models together sold 183,037 units, a rise from 137,334 units in August 2025. These are the takeaways, for September 2026.

Key Takeaways From September 2026

SUVs are still taking over. Maruti’s SUV sales jumped over 60% in a year, and Mahindra’s lineup is almost all SUVs. Indian buyers clearly want higher seating, more space and a tougher look.

The fight for No. 2 is wide open. Tata and Mahindra are now neck and neck. The next few months, with Diwali and festive offers, could decide who ends 2026 in second place.

Kia is growing fast. New CNG options and the Sorento launch gave Kia its best kind of month: up from August and way up from last year.

Buyers are still buying. Even though factory dispatches were flat, registrations grew strongly. That’s a healthy sign heading into the festive season.

What This Means for Car Owners

When a car sells in big numbers, it usually means good news for owners later on. Popular models have more mechanics who know them well, better resale value, and wider spare parts availability.

That’s also why the demand for parts for models like the Swift Dzire, Creta, Scorpio and Bolero remains strong every single year. At Assurer we supply spare parts for Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra and other well-known brands to car owners, workshops and distributors across India and even in foreign countries. If you are looking for a part for your car just send your car model or the part number on WhatsApp, at +91 74289 08900. Our team will assist you in finding the correct one.

Explore More:- Best-Selling Cars in India in August 2026

FAQs

Which was the best-selling car brand in India in September 2026?

Maruti Suzuki, with 1,68,744 units in domestic wholesales, up over 27% from September 2025.

Tata Motors, with 56,972 units, just 227 units ahead of Mahindra’s 56,745 units. In registration data, Mahindra was slightly ahead.

Kia. It was the only major brand to grow both month-on-month (+10.2%) and year-on-year (+41%).

Factory wholesales were around 4 lakh units, while Vahan registrations reached 4,20,359 units, up 31.8% from last year.

The model-wise list for September hasn’t been released yet. We’ll update this post once it’s out. In August 2026, the Tata Punch was India’s best-selling car.

Some report wholesales (cars sent to dealers), while others use registrations (cars bought by customers). Company press releases may also include exports or other vehicle types.