The auto manufacturer touched the Indian roads in September 2025 with two electric SUVs–VF 6 and VF 7 priced between ₹16 lakh and ₹25 lakh.New Delhi: Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast has overtaken China’s BYD in India’s electric passenger vehicle sales so far in 2026, reflecting the intensifying competition among foreign players in the country’s EV market space.
In the year-to-date sale, VinFast India sold over 850 units till March 3 this year while BYD India recorded more than 550 units during the same period, according to Vahan data.
The Vietnamese automaker has also emerged as the fourth-largest player in the electric passenger vehicle segment in January, behind Tata Motors, JSW MG Motor India and Mahindra & Mahindra.
On the other hand, BYD currently ranks eighth in the EV passenger vehicle market. However, for 2025, BYD ranked at fifth position and VinFast at tenth position, according to FADA data.
It is to be noted that VinFast has gained early traction since launching its products in India and has already crossed 1,000 cumulative units in January after about four months of operations. The company is also gradually building its ecosystem in the country, including plans around EV infrastructure.
The auto manufacturer touched the Indian roads in September 2025 with two electric SUVs–VF 6 and VF 7 priced between ₹16 lakh and ₹25 lakh. The pricing positions the brand between entry-level EVs and the premium electric segment.
BYD’s passenger EV portfolio in India starts from around ₹25 lakh and goes up to ₹54 lakh for its flagship offering. The company currently sells models such as the e6, Atto 3, and Sealion 7, targeting largely premium buyers.
The price difference aided the Vietnamese maker to tap into a segment for the customers who want to upgrade from mass-market EVs without moving into the higher price bracket of luxury electric vehicles.
Elon Musk-led Tesla, which entered India around the same time as Vinfast, is also trying to find its feet in the Indian EV market. The company has sold 29 units so far in 2026, according to the same dataset.
BYD’s head start versus VinFast’s push
BYD entered in India with its battery and electronics businesses in 2007, later expanding to the electric bus segment through a partnership with Olectra Greentech. Since then there have been multiple BYD-powered buses operating in several Indian cities since around 2017.
It launched its first passenger EV in India in 2021 with the BYD e6 electric MPV, initially focusing on fleet and corporate mobility customers, then providing more offerings to the customers with the Atto 3 SUV and the recently introduced Sealion 7, which competes with premium EVs such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
VinFast is also investing in local manufacturing and considers India as a key market. The company has committed a long-term investment of up to $2 billion in India for a comprehensive EV manufacturing ecosystem, with an EV assembly facility in Tamil Nadu.
The carmaker on Thursday also announced the appointment of Anurag Saxena as Deputy CEO for India operations.
