Even though SUVs are the flavour of the season, a sedan is the top-selling car in the first half of 2026. Model-wise wholesales data sourced from the industry shows that the Maruti Suzuki Dzire was India’s largest selling car during January-June 2026, with sales of 126,204 units. A clear favourite among both personal buyers and fleet operators – almost 35% of its sales are in the taxi segment – the Dzire remains an affordable blend of practicality and efficiency.
But Tata Motors is pushing Maruti Suzuki to its limits, and has claimed the second and third spots with its compact SUV duo of the Punch (119,303 units) and the Nexon (118,166 units). The neck-and-neck performance of these two SUVs shows just how strong Tata Motors has become in the sub-4 metre SUV segment.
But the next five positions have gone to Maruti Suzuki – with its Ertiga MPV at the fourth rank (108,295 units), the Wagon R at the fifth (100,704 units), the Swift at the sixth (97,747 units), and the duo of the Baleno (96,996 units) and the Fronx (95,441 units) taking up seventh and eighth positions.
The final two spots in the top 10 go to midsize SUVs – with the Hyundai Creta in the ninth place (91,391 units) and the Mahindra Scorpio/N at the tenth (89,375 units). Sales of the Creta were impacted because there was a major fire at Hyundai’s supplier Mobis on May 31, and its dispatches dropped to 7,168 units in June, down from 15,235 units in May and 15,291 units in April.
Beyond the top 10, the year till now had some promising models that couldn’t make the cut. The reborn Tata Sierra generated some interest by selling 43,420 units for the half-year, but was impacted by production constraints at the plant. Meanwhile, the return of the Renault Duster generated a lot of excitement on the social media, but little footfalls in the showrooms, and the SUV has sold just 6,039 units since it went on sale in March.
Maruti Suzuki Dzire: 126,204
Tata Punch: 119,303
Tata Nexon: 118,166
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga: 108,295
Maruti Suzuki Wagon R: 100,704
Maruti Suzuki Swift: 97,747
Maruti Suzuki Baleno: 96,996
Maruti Suzuki Fronx: 95,441
Hyundai Creta: 91,391
Mahindra Scorpio/N: 89,375
