Justdial has reported a significant rise in searches related to electric vehicles (EVs), with non-metro cities showing a 141% growth between January 2023 and August 2024. This surge indicates the expanding interest in EVs across regions beyond India’s metro cities, driven by growing awareness, government incentives, and advancements in EV technology.
The rise in searches highlights the growing demand for electric mobility across India, especially in smaller cities. Indore topped the list with an extraordinary 379% increase, followed by Patna at 230%, and Surat at 143%. While metro cities like Chennai and Kolkata also witnessed strong growth at 368% and 114% respectively, non-metro cities collectively outpaced their metro counterparts, signalling a shift in interest towards cleaner and more sustainable transport options.
The comparison period between January 2023 and August 2024 also showed that electric vehicle dealers experienced a nationwide growth of 151%, with Delhi leading the trend at 146%. Electric bus manufacturers saw a similar rise, growing by 142%, and searches for electric bikes on rent surged by 97%, with Kolkata recording the highest growth of 167%. Pune and Mumbai followed with 123% and 91% increases, respectively.
Earlier, during the January-August period of 2022 to 2023, metro cities had taken the lead in EV-related searches. Hyderabad emerged as a standout, showing a 740% increase, while Ahmedabad and Bangalore saw growth of 272% and 244% respectively. However, from 2023 to 2024, non-metro cities shifted into the spotlight, experiencing more substantial growth than metro areas.
The rising popularity of electric vehicles in both metro and non-metro cities reflects the broader trends in India’s EV market. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA), electric passenger vehicle sales doubled to 2.6% of market share in March 2023, compared to 1.3% in March 2022. Additionally, EV retail sales for the first five months of FY2025 reached 733,000 units, representing 43% of the previous fiscal year’s total of 1.68 million units.
Justdial’s data further reveals that the demand for EV-related services is expanding across different categories. Electric vehicle dealers, for instance, witnessed a 203% growth between January 2022 and August 2023, while searches for electric car dealers increased by 55%. Notably, the demand for electric bikes on rent surged by 342%, with Hyderabad leading the trend, showing an astounding 1,606% rise in related searches.
The focus on building EV infrastructure, reducing the cost of ownership, and enhancing technology has contributed to the growing popularity of EVs across India, especially in regions that had previously lagged behind metro cities.