New Delhi, April 10 -- Aggressive electric vehicle (EV) plays by Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd played a big role in EVs making up a fifth of the over 540,000 additional vehicles sold in fiscal year 2026 (FY26), data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (Fada) showed. That number was 8% in the previous fiscal year. The two companies together accounted for 61% of India's electric car market in FY26, helping them power past second-placed Hyundai Motor in India's passenger vehicle (PV) pecking order (Maruti Suzuki is No. 1). According to data from Fada, overall car retail sales grew 13% to 4.7 million units in FY26, while EV sales increased 84% to 199,923 units in the same period, contributing 4% to the overall market. EVs have also contributed handsomely to the top carmakers' incremental growth last fiscal. Fada data showed that M&M's overall sales jumped 22% year-on-year (y-o-y) in FY26 to 631,638 units, within which EVs have grown at an outsized 407% y-o-y to 42,721 units, and contributed 30% to the company's incremental sales growth. Meanwhile, Tata Motors PV's retail sales rose 14% y-o-y to 613,513 units in FY26, even as its EVs showed a growth rate of 36% y-o-y to 78,811 units. Significantly, EVs contributed about 26% to the company's incremental growth. Strip out EVs, and growth rates drop to 17% and 12% for M&M and Tata Motors PV, respectively. Hyundai Motor, which ended the fiscal year below No. 2 (at No. 4) for the first time in 17 years, grew at just 3% to 578,337 units in FY26, even as its EV sales grew at a healthy 137.6% to 5,885 units. However, Hyundai's EVs contributed a lower 14% to its incremental sales, compared to the other two companies. To be sure, EVs are not the sole driver of growth-M&M's strong SUV portfolio, for instance, continues to underpin its performance. But electrification is increasingly amplifying gains for early movers. "Over the past six years, we have built the widest portfolio of electric vehicles across every major body style and pricepoint, from hatchbacks to high SUVs, enabling the democratization of EVs," Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd, said. "EVs contribute 14-15% to our passenger vehicle portfolio, significantly ahead of the industry average of ~4%, with customers driving more, travelling farther, and increasingly choosing EVs as their primary car, reflecting growing trust in the technology," he added. M&M, Hyundai India and Maruti Suzuki did not respond to queries seeking comment on their EV sales and plans. Subhabrata Sengupta, a partner at Avalon Consulting, noted that EV sales act as incremental sales boosters for some manufacturers, but the decision on whether to go big on the technology is a strategic choice. "It is a growing segment. Whether you play there or not is always a strategic choice. Toyota grew around 20% without an EV," Sengupta said....