With over 196,000 units sold in FY2025, the Tata Punch compact SUV wins the utility vehicle crown for the first time in a fiscal since its launch, narrowly beating the Hyundai Creta midsize SUV. Proof of the surging demand for SUVs and MPVs is that 11 of the Top 15 UVs have each sold over 100,000 units. Compact SUVs maintain their stranglehold with seven models, followed by six midsize SUVs and two MPVs.
07 Apr 2025 | 858 Views | By Ajit Dalvi
A month before FY2025 closed, the Tata Punch and the Hyundai Creta were separated by 2,041 units in their race to be India’s No. 1 SUV in FY2025. Now with March 2025 numbers factored in, the Tata Punch with estimated wholesales of 196,567 units has beaten the Hyundai Creta (194,871 ...
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A month before FY2025 closed, the Tata Punch and the Hyundai Creta were separated by 2,041 units in their race to be India’s No. 1 SUV in FY2025. Now with March 2025 numbers factored in, the Tata Punch with estimated wholesales of 196,567 units has beaten the Hyundai Creta (194,871 units) by 1,696 units. This gives the Tata Punch the No. 1 SUV title for the first time in a fiscal year since its launch in October 2021. It was the No. 1 SUV in CY2024 when it sold 202,031 units.
The Tata Punch, Tata Motors’ best-selling model and the No. 1 compact SUV in FY2025, has registered 16% YoY growth (FY2024: 1,69,844 units, up 27%) with 196,567 units. The Punch, which is available with petrol, CNG and electric powertrains, has risen two ranks from a year ago when it was the third best-selling SUV after the Maruti Brezza and Tata Nexon. Since launch over three-and-a-half years ago, total sales of the Punch in the domestic market have crossed 550,000 units. In FY2025, Tata Motors sold a total of 553,585 passenger vehicles in FY2025, which means the Punch’s share was 35% compared to 30% in FY2024.
The Hyundai Creta, whose new-generation model was launched in January 2024 and has expanded its portfolio with the arrival of the Creta Electric this January, sold a total of 194,871 units, up 20% (FY2024: 162,773 units). January 2025 was a red-letter month for India’s best-selling midsize SUV with a best-ever monthly 18,522 units as the ICE Creta was joined by the Creta Electric. In FY2024, the Creta was ranked fourth, which means it has risen two ranks in FY2025 which saw Hyundai sell a total of 598,666 passenger vehicles. With demand for hatchbacks and sedans slowing, the SUV share of Hyundai’s PV sales rose to 68.5% or 410,086 units, up 5.5% YoY in FY2025. At 194,871 units, the Creta and Creta Electric together accounted for a 47% share of Hyundai’s SUV sales in FY2025, up from the 42% the ICE Creta had in FY2024.
The Maruti Ertiga MPV takes third rank on the UV podium with 190,974 units, up 28% YoY (FY2024: 149,757 units) and rising two positions year on year. This works out to an additional 41,217 units, which speaks volumes for the demand this popular family mover commands. In FY2024, the Ertiga had sold 149,757 units, up 17% YoY, and the No. 5 position. In FY2025, Maruti Suzuki sold 720,186 UVs, up 11% YoY (FY2024: 642,296 UVs) with the Ertiga accounting for 26% of that number.
The game-changing Maruti Brezza, which kicked off the compact SUV juggernaut all those many years ago, is the No. 4 UV with 189,163 units, up 11% YoY.
The Maruti Fronx compact SUV has jumped into No. 5 position by virtue of selling a best-ever 21,000-plus units in February 2025. The Fronx’s cumulative 12-month sales at 166,216 units are up 23% YoY and 31,481 units more than in FY2024 when it sold 134,735 units. In September 2024, the Fronx became the second Nexa SUV to achieve 200,000 sales, after the Grand Vitara.
The Mahindra Scorpio twins have had a stellar FY2025. The best-selling Mahindra model – the Scorpio N and Scorpio Classic – have together sold a total of 164,842 units, up 17% YoY (FY2024: 141,462 units), which translates into an additional 23,380 units. This performance sees the Scorpio twins maintain their No. 6 position from FY2024. The Scorpio twins, along with the four other Mahindra SUVs in this Top 15 listing, helped power M&M to its best-ever fiscal year sales of 551,487 units, up 20% YoY. The Scorpio share of this record total was 30%, similar to FY2024.
The first of the two UVs in the Top 15 to see a YoY sales decline is the Tata Nexon. This compact SUV, which has been India’s best-selling SUV for three straight fiscals – FY2024, FY2023 and FY2022 – has dropped all of six ranks to No. 7 position in FY2025. At an estimated 163,089 units, the Nexon is down 85 on year-ago dispatches of 171,929 units, having sold 8,840 fewer units. The launch of the Nexon CNG last September as well as the Nexon ICE model acing the Bharat NCAP crash test with a 5-star rating were expected to help the Nexon recover market momentum but that didn’t happen. Compact SUV sibling Punch has been outselling the Nexon right since January 2024.
The Maruti Grand Vitara midsize SUV drives in at No. 8 with 123,946 units, up 3% YoY (FY2024: 121,169 units) when it was ranked ninth. There’s a three-row Grand Vitara in the pipeline but it won’t be available till end-2025.
The second Hyundai SUV is this list is the Hyundai Venue, the Korean manufacturer’s first compact SUV. The Venue clocked FY2025 sales of 119,113 units, down 9% on the year-ago 128,897 units. Demand has been flagging for the Venue, particularly since the Hyundai Exter, its sibling compact SUV, rolled in. With the next-gen Venue, which will up the model’s desirability quotient, slated for launch only by end-2025 or early 2026, sales will most likely continue to be slow.
The Toyota Innova MPV – Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s best-selling product – is the 10th best-selling UV in India for FY2025 with 107,204 units, up 9% YoY (FY2024: 98,180 units). Sold in two variants, the Crysta and Hycross, customer demand for the Innova Hycross has been particularly strong, which has helped accelerate sales for this popular people transporter. Toyota India hit its best-ever sales in FY2025: 309,000-plus units and the Innova has been a key growth driver, along with the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Fortuner and Rumion.
At No. 11 is the Mahindra 3XO, the facelifted version of the XUV300, which has been one of the best performers in the SUV market. With total wholesales of 100,906 units, the 3XO has jumped seven ranks from No. 18 in FY2024 when it had sold 54,726 units. This robust market performance translates into an additional 46,180 units sold and a resultant 84% YoY increase in sales.
The Kia Sonet has retained the same 12th rank it had in FY2024. With sales of 99,805 units, the Sonet clocked 23% YoY growth (FY2024: 81,384 units) and is Kia India’s best-selling product for the fiscal, ahead of the Seltos midsize SUV (No. 17 in FY2025: 72,618 units, down 28% YoY) and the Carens MPV (No. 18 in FY2025: 64,609 units, up 2% YoY).
The indefatigable workhorse that is the Mahindra Bolero sold an estimated 94,750 units in FY2025, up 28% YoY (FY204: 74,205 units).
The Mahindra XUV700 is ranked 14th in this Top 15 listing. M&M’s flagship SUV continues to witness strong demand. At 93,082 units, sales were up 17% YoY (FY2024: 79,398 units).
The Mahindra Thar retains its No. 16 ranking with a strong showing of 84,834 units, up 30% YoY (FY2024: 65,246 units). The accelerated sales can be attributed to the launch of the five-door Thar Roxx, which won Autocar India’s Car of the Year 2025 award, has given a fresh charge to demand for the Thar.