Goods carriers led the recovery, posting a 58% month-on-month and 23% year-on-year increase, buoyed by rising demand for last-mile delivery and urban logistics. Three-wheeler goods vehicles and e-rickshaws also recorded strong month-on-month growth of 59% and 16%, respectively. Two-wheelers surged 144% month-on-month and 52% year-on-year, reflecting the strength of festive purchases. Passenger car sales rose by 83% compared to the previous month and 11% year-on-year, signalling healthy consumer sentiment.
Electric vehicles reached new heights in October. E-two wheelers grew 40% month-on-month and 39% year-on-year, while e-three wheelers increased 16% month-on-month and an impressive 324% year-on-year. Electric motor cars rose 13% month-on-month and 158% year-on-year, indicating the growing mainstream adoption of electric vehicles in both urban and semi-urban markets.
Infrastructure-related and traditionally cyclical segments such as earth moving equipment and agricultural tractors also saw notable gains, up 44% and 10% month-on-month, respectively. The arrival of Kharif crops contributed to this trend, providing additional impetus to rural and freight activity.
Truck rentals remained stable across major trunk routes during October. The Delhi–Mumbai–Delhi corridor experienced the sharpest increase, up 1.9% month-on-month, with other key routes such as Delhi–Hyderabad–Delhi and Bengaluru–Mumbai–Bengaluru also showing positive movement. Year-on-year, rentals were higher by 2–10% across significant corridors, led by Bengaluru–Mumbai–Bengaluru at 10%. Entry restrictions on non-BS VI vehicles into the NCR and adverse weather conditions briefly constrained fleet availability.
Fuel consumption displayed a mixed pattern. Petrol usage rose 8% month-on-month and 7% year-on-year, driven by increased festive travel. Diesel consumption climbed 12% month-on-month but edged down 0.5% year-on-year, as weaker agricultural and mining activity limited demand.
FASTag collections saw a slight dip month-on-month, with transaction volumes falling 3.8% and values down 4.4% to ₹6,450 crore, suggesting moderation in intercity freight transport. Despite this, year-on-year FASTag volumes and values rose by 1% and 5%, respectively, pointing to ongoing growth in toll-based movements.
An industry expert commented, “Deepavali delivered exceptional results, with truck rental rates remaining firm and automotive sales across all categories achieving record highs. The focus now is on sustaining this momentum, although a moderation in vehicle demand is anticipated in the coming weeks.”
