India’s Top-Selling Cars 2025: Compact Kings, Hot SUVs and the New Bestsellers

India’s passenger vehicle market in 2025 has been defined by a sharp tilt towards compact cars and SUVs, with a few clear winners dominating national sales charts. Data from market trackers and industry reports show that models from Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Hyundai, Mahindra and others are driving record volumes, as first-time buyers and upgraders look for fuel-efficient, feature-rich and value-focused options.

According to multiple sales analyses, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire has emerged as the best-selling car of 2025 in India, displacing popular rivals to take the top spot in the annual rankings.^[1][2][5] The Dzire, a compact sedan known for its frugal petrol powertrains and taxi-plus-family appeal, grew its volumes by around 29% year-on-year and now commands roughly 4–5% share of the total passenger car market.^[2][5]

Close behind, the Hyundai Creta and Tata Nexon have cemented themselves as the country’s breakout SUV success stories. The Creta, a midsize SUV, ranks second in the 2025 best-seller chart, while the Nexon has climbed sharply into the top three, with demand driven by both its internal-combustion and electric versions.^[2][6] The Nexon in particular has topped the monthly sales charts more than once in late 2025, including November, where it crossed 22,000 units in combined ICE and EV sales.^[6]

Hatchbacks still dominate Indian roads, and 2025 has been no exception. The Maruti WagonR, Baleno and Swift continue to rank among the most popular choices, supported by their wide service network, strong fuel economy and attractive pricing.^[1][2][4] Industry data up to November 2025 places WagonR in the upper half of the national top 10, with Baleno and Swift also featuring strongly in monthly top-25 charts, including December 2025.^[2][4]

Multi-purpose vehicles and compact SUVs from Maruti remain volume drivers as well. The Maruti Ertiga stays a family favourite, ranking within the top five nationwide, while newer crossovers like the Maruti Fronx and the Grand Vitara have quickly built up consistent monthly volumes and now appear regularly in the list of top-25 selling cars.^[1][2][4]

On the SUV side, Mahindra has had a standout year. Company-wide, Mahindra has moved up to become the second-largest carmaker in India by volume in 2025, behind only Maruti Suzuki, with nearly 5.9 lakh units sold over the calendar year.^[1] This surge is powered by a portfolio led by the ScorpioThar, and mainstream nameplates like the XUV700 and XUV3XO.^[1][2][7] The Scorpio now sits inside the national top 10 car ranking, while the Thar – including the updated Thar Roxx derivative – has continued to outsell some larger SUVs through much of 2025.^[2][3][7]

The Tata Punch, which started the year as one of India’s most in-demand compact SUVs, has seen its ranking cool off somewhat as competition intensified. By late 2025, it had slipped to around tenth place in the overall model ranking, even though its full-year numbers remain strong enough to keep it firmly in the top 10 list of best-selling cars.^[2]

Short-term sales data from December 2025 highlight shifting momentum within familiar nameplates. Market trackers report that the Maruti Nexa Baleno was the single highest-selling car in December, followed by the Maruti Fronx, Tata Nexon, Maruti Dzire and Maruti Swift in that order, underlining Maruti’s continued command over mass-market segments despite rising rivalry from Tata and Hyundai.^[4] The same dataset shows new-age SUVs like the Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Mahindra Thar and Maruti Grand Vitara all appearing in the top 25, signalling how strongly Indians have embraced the SUV body style.^[3][4]

From a manufacturer perspective, Maruti Suzuki maintains a sizeable lead over all rivals with around 17.9 lakh passenger vehicles sold in calendar year 2025, equal to nearly 40% of the Indian car market.^[1] Mahindra’s rise to second place reflects the power of a focused SUV portfolio, while Tata Motors, in third, has relied on the Nexon and Punch as its volume pillars through the year.^[1] Hyundai, Toyota, Kia and the combined Skoda–Volkswagen group round out the top ranks, each contributing one or more models to the national top-25 list.^[1][2][4]

For Indian buyers, the 2025 sales charts underline a few clear trends. Compact hatchbacks and sub-4-metre SUVs continue to offer the best mix of price, practicality and efficiency, explaining why models like Dzire, Baleno, WagonR, Nexon, Punch and Fronx dominate volumes.^[1][2][4][6] At the same time, growing interest in feature-rich midsize SUVs (Creta, Grand Vitara, Scorpio, XUV700) and the steady expansion of electric variants (notably within the Nexon range) suggest the market will keep moving up the value chain, even as entry-level options remain critical for overall growth.