Ahmedabad: Gujarat’s car market grew nearly 20% in Sept, but the bigger shift was in what buyers chose to drive. CNG lost ground while hybrid and electric cars gained share, signalling a gradual change in powertrain preferences.Registrations of passenger vehicles rose 19.6% year on year to 37,340 units this Sept from 31,217 units a year earlier, according to data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) – Gujarat. While CNG cars still accounted for the biggest share of the registrations at 35%, it was down from 41.6% in Sept 2025. This came as buyers chose petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric variants.On the other hand, hybrid cars accounted for 7.1% of the registrations, up from 4.6% a year earlier. EVs also nearly doubled in share, growing to 6.9% from 4%. Together, hybrids and EVs accounted for about 14% of car registrations in Sept.“These encouraging numbers reflect resilient consumer demand and growing confidence in the passenger-vehicle market in Gujarat. The sustained growth in car registrations, along with the increasing acceptance of hybrid and electric vehicles, shows that buyers are actively considering newer powertrain options. With the Navratri-Diwali festival season now approaching, we expect the momentum to strengthen further,” said Hitendra Nanavati, state chairperson, FADA Gujarat.Petrol and ethanol-powered cars increased their share to 29% from 27.9% a year earlier, while diesel rose to 23.1% from 20.9%. The data suggests Gujarat’s car buyers are not abandoning conventional fuels, but are increasingly considering options alongside them.“The festive period traditionally brings higher showroom enquiries and purchase decisions, and we expect festive offers and improved consumer sentiment to support sales in the coming weeks. However, availability issues are high and waiting periods have gone up to 60 days for some models. Bookings will begin during Navratri,” said Jigar Vyas, CEO of a car dealership in Ahmedabad.Two-wheelers also recorded healthy growth, with registrations rising by 13.6% to 1.32 lakh units from 1.16 lakh units a year earlier. Petrol and ethanol continued to dominate the segment with a 92.7% share, although EVs increased their share to 7.2% from 5.3%.
