Maruti Suzuki’s Dzire emerged as the highest-selling passenger vehicle in India in calendar year 2025, clocking 214,488 units—an exceptional performance in a market increasingly dominated by sport utility vehicles (SUVs), according to data from JATO Dynamics India.

From an industry standpoint, Ravi Bhatia, Managing Director at JATO Dynamics India, said the rankings reflect structural strengths. “Maruti Suzuki’s multi-model presence in the Top 10 highlights scale, distribution strength and value-led pricing as key competitive advantages amid evolving consumer preference for higher-riding vehicles,” he noted, pointing out that compact and mid-size models continue to cluster in the 175,000–215,000 unit annual volume range.

Sedans buck the SUV trend

The result is particularly noteworthy as sedans accounted for just over 13% of cumulative volumes among the Top 10 models, underscoring the Dzire’s rare leadership at a time when buyer preference has shifted decisively towards taller vehicles.

Explaining how Dzire managed to lead the overall market despite these structural trends, Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales at Maruti Suzuki India, said the model’s repositioning played a decisive role. “Most importantly, the upgraded Dzire with full features turned the table. Earlier, it was thought that the car was for older buyers, but with the new Dzire, the repositioning has done wonders in attracting younger buyers,” Banerjee said.

He added that the shift is visible in the sales mix. “First-time buyers have gone up from 41% to 48%. The average age is also coming down, more young families are preferring it, and our top-end variants are contributing almost 31% of sales,” he added.

Creta leads SUV volumes, reflects premiumisation

Within this SUV-heavy mix, Hyundai’s Creta remained the segment anchor, closing 2025 with 201,122 units—its highest-ever annual sales tally. The model averaged over 550 units a day and retained a market share of more than 34% in the mid-size SUV segment, reinforcing its leadership in one of India’s most competitive categories.

Variant-level data highlights a premiumisation trend, with sunroof-equipped versions accounting for over 70% of Creta sales, while diesel powertrains contributed 44% of volumes, showing sustained demand across fuel choices.

Commenting on the milestone, Tarun Garg, Managing Director and CEO-designate of Hyundai Motor India, said, “Achieving our highest-ever annual sales of over two lakh units is a defining moment for the Creta brand. It is also the highest-selling SUV in our country on a cumulative basis from 2020-2025.”

SUVs corner lion’s share, hatchbacks anchor volumes

A body-style split of the top 10 models shows SUVs contributing around 49% of total volumes, followed by hatchbacks at nearly 30%, MPVs at about 10%, with sedans forming the smallest cohort, according to JATO Dynamics India. The data highlights the extent to which demand has consolidated in the ₹10–25 lakh price bands, where SUVs dominate.

Hatchbacks continued to anchor entry-level demand, led by Maruti Suzuki’s Wagon R (194,238 units), Swift (189,261 units), and Baleno (172,556 units), together accounting for nearly a third of Top 10 volumes.

MPVs were represented solely by the Ertiga, which posted 192,025 units, contributing roughly 10% of cumulative Top 10 sales and reinforcing its role as a high-volume family vehicle.

Despite sedans being the smallest body-style cohort, Banerjee emphasized the significance of Dzire’s leadership. “To be the number one model this calendar year, especially when SUV market share is growing, yet a sedan becomes the top model, is big news,” he said, adding that strong nationwide demand has pushed production to the “maximum possible limit.”