With 348,847 units and 4% YoY growth, April 2025 has turned out to be the best-ever April for the Indian passenger vehicle industry. That’s thanks to the utility vehicle (UV) which, as it is wont to do, continues to admirably buffer the sustained decline in hatchback and sedan sales. In April, the UV segment which comprises SUV and MPVs, clocked wholesales of 234,516 units, up 10% YoY (April 2024: 213,117 UVs) and prevented the 7% fall in passenger car sales from dragging the overall PV market down.
The UV segment accounted for 67% of total PV sales last month, compared to their 63% share in April 2024. From the Hyundai Creta to the Kia Sonet, the movers and shakers of the UV segment were the Top 10 best-selling models. Here’s looking at them.
The Hyundai Creta, which is India’s longstanding No. 1 midsize SUV, has topped the UV chart in April 2025 with wholesales of 17,016 units. While this makes for a 10% YoY increase (April 2024: 15,447 units), it is down 6% month-on-month (March 2025: 18,059 units). It was felt that the Creta’s sales would further accelerate with the launch of the Creta Electric earlier this year but that has not happened. Nevertheless, the Creta has opened FY2026 on a good note as the best-selling UV. In FY2025, the Creta was ranked UV No. 2 (194,871 units).
The Maruti Brezza compact SUV, with 16,971 units, is second on the podium. Demand though is marginally down by 1% on April 2024’s 17,113 units. In FY2025, the Brezza was ranked fourth (189,163 units) on the UV scale and No. 2 on the compact SUV scale.
The Ertiga, Maruti Suzuki India’s first crack at the MPV segment, continues to win over buyers, and has been India’s best-selling MPV for the past six fiscals. In April, the Ertiga, which is sold with petrol and CNG powertrains, sold 15,780 units, up 17% YoY, to take third rank. Last fiscal, the Ertiga sold 190,974 units to achieve its best-ever fiscal year performance and was India’s third best-selling UV in FY2025.
Mahindra & Mahindra’s best-selling SUV continues to be the Scorpio midsize SUV in the form of the popular Scorpio N and the Scorpio Classic. The 15,534 units sold in April were a 5% YoY increase (April 2024: 14,807 units) and accounted for a 30% share of M&M’s 52,330 SUVs old last month. In FY2025, the Scorpio twins sold a total of 164,842 units and were ranked sixth on the UV scale. April 2025 has them at No. 4 position.
The Tata Nexon compact SUV, once Tata Motor’s longstanding best-seller which was out-staged by sibling Punch, has opened FY2026 on a strong note – the 15,457 units are a 38% YoY increase (April 2024: 11,168 units). Not only does this make the Nexon the company’s No. 1 model for April 2025, contributing 34% to Tata’s 45,199 overall PV sales but it is also India’s second best-selling compact SUV for the month. Will the Nexon, which was India’s best-selling SUV for three straight years in FY2024, FY2023 and FY2022 but ranked seventh in FY2025 (163,089 units) see a resurgence in demand in FY2026? April’s good showing, which places it at No. 5, could provide a clue.
At No. 6 is the Maruti Fronx, another compact SUV. The 14,345 units sold in April 2025 constitute flat sales (April 2024: 14,286 units), which could be a result of Maruti Suzuki optimising this SUV’s inventory levels at its dealerships. In FY2025, the Fronx was the fifth best-selling SUV with 166,216 units.
The Tata Punch, India’s best-selling SUV in FY2024 (196,567 units) has opened FY2026 on a slow note and in seventh position. The 12,496 units in April 2025, down 35% YoY (April 2024: 19,158 units) are the lowest this compact SUV has clocked since July 2023 (12,019 units). The Punch is available with petrol, CNG and electric powertrains.
The Mahindra Thar, which now comprises the three-door Thar and the recently launched Thar Roxx, takes No. 8 rank with 10,703 units. This constitutes handsome 74% YoY growth (April 2024: 6,160 units) and an additional 4,543 units compared to a year ago. This can be attributed to demand for the more mainstream five-door Thar Roxx which has helped accelerate the Thar brand’s sales and also widen the target audience, which now includes families. In FY2025, the Thar (84,834 units) was ranked No. 15 on the all-India SUV scale with the Roxx having contributed 45% sales in just six months.
The Mahindra Bolero brand, comprising the Bolero, Bolero Neo and Bolero Neo Plus, has clocked wholesales of 8,360 units in April 2025, down 12% YoY (April 2024: 9,537 units). The Bolero is sold only with a diesel powertrain.
Wrapping up the Top 10 UVs for April 2025 is the best-selling model for Kia India – the Sonet compact SUV. With 8,068 units, the Sonet has achieved 2% YoY growth (April 2024: 7,901 units).
These Top 10 UVs, comprising five compact SUVs, four midsize SUVs and one MPV, together add up to 134,730 units which makes for a 57% share of the total 234,516 UVs sold in India in April 2025.
ALSO READ:
Hyundai Exter clocks 150,000 sales in 21 months since launch