EV and CNG Car Waiting Periods Rise to 3-4 Months Ahead of Festive Season

Indian automobile dealers are entering the upcoming festive season with approximately a month of overall stock, but are experiencing shortages in specific models, powertrains, battery packs, and variants preferred by buyers. This mismatch has resulted in delivery wait times ranging from two to five months for several high-demand vehicles even before the peak of the vehicle-buying season.

According to data from an August channel check by YES Securities, waiting periods for high-demand electric cars have increased to three to four months, up from about one month five months ago. Meanwhile, the TVS iQube electric scooter currently carries a delivery queue of four to five months. Maruti Suzuki's new Brezza reports an average wait of about two months, driven primarily by its turbo-petrol and CNG versions, which account for more than 70 percent of its bookings.

Overall passenger-vehicle inventories currently stand at roughly four weeks, while two-wheeler stocks are ranging between four and five weeks. This supply mismatch has emerged at the onset rather than the peak of festive buying. Regional sales indicators point to strong early momentum, with Onam sales in Kerala growing by more than 20 percent year-on-year, while major festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, Dhanteras, and Diwali are still ahead.

Market demand data indicates that enquiries and bookings for electric and CNG passenger vehicles have risen by more than 30 percent, growing at more than twice the pace of conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Similarly, electric two-wheeler demand is growing by 30 to 40 percent, compared to an organic enquiry growth of 10 to 12 percent for the broader two-wheeler market.

YES Securities attributed this demand surge to recent vehicle launches and consumer sentiment regarding E20 fuel. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles is recording stronger booking growth compared to peers, though Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai are experiencing similar trends. Additionally, Tata's introduction of a 15-year battery warranty on key models—up from eight years previously—is helping transition electric vehicles beyond the early-adopter category.

However, the industry-wide shortage masks significant variations between specific models and variants. August model-level delivery data indicates that variants such as the Tiago EV Smart 19, Pure+ 19, and Punch EV Smart 30 carry some of the longest wait times, ranging from 18 to 24 weeks. The Punch EV Smart 40 requires approximately 10 to 12 weeks for delivery.

At higher price points, delivery timelines shift further. Mahindra's XEV 9S and XEV 9e have indicative wait times of 16 to 20 weeks, while the Sierra EV Pure 65 takes 12 to 15 weeks, and Maruti Suzuki's e Vitara ranges from eight to 12 weeks. Conversely, an electric vehicle badge does not uniformly guarantee a long queue. JSW MG Motor India's Windsor EV has an indicative wait of four to eight weeks, the Tata Nexon EV requires three to four weeks, the Harrier EV two to three weeks, and the Curvv EV is available within one to two weeks.

This dispersion across models suggests that market demand is clustering around specific new launches, price points, battery packs, and variants rather than creating a broad, uniform shortage across all electric vehicles.

"The current supply-chain bottleneck in the automotive sector highlights a fundamental shift in consumer demand toward electric and CNG vehicles ahead of the festive season. When demand outpaces supply by this margin, particularly for specific battery packs and variants, it creates immediate operational challenges for dealerships. However, it also signals strong market maturation for sustainable mobility in India, proving that consumer adoption is moving rapidly beyond the early-adopter phase into the mainstream market." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes