e-commerce
Indian used car market matures with steady 6-10 per cent monthly sales in 2025
Cars24 report shows Baleno tops charts, Tier-2 cities drive 62 per cent demand and financing hits 52 per cent.
MUMBAI: Buckle up India, the used car market isn’t just cruising anymore; it’s shifting into a smooth, confident overdrive, proving that pre-loved wheels have officially become the nation’s smartest first choice. According to the latest Gears of Growth 2025 report by Cars24 and Team-BHP, every single month chipped in a rock-steady 6-10 per cent of annual volume in 2025. No wild festival spikes, no desperate year-end discounts just consistent, need-driven buying that screams market maturity.
Discovery has gone fully digital, with trust now riding shotgun on video. Pre-delivery inspections were googled by over 1.7 lakh Indians last year, while Youtube reviews turned casual scrollers into confident buyers. Even AI is steering decisions: search volumes for “buy” rocketed 7.2x, “new car” 8.1x, “sell” 2.3x and “challan” a whopping 9x year-on-year, with overall AI queries surging 6.7x.
The old NCR monopoly is history. Maharashtra now leads with 20.1 per cent share (up from 16.4 per cent), Karnataka jumped to 16 per cent (from 10 per cent), Gujarat surged to 13.1 per cent (from 8.7 per cent), Uttar Pradesh climbed to 12.5 per cent, Tamil Nadu to 11.7 per cent and Telangana to 10 per cent. Delhi’s slice shrank dramatically from 13.8 per cent to 5.8 per cent, and Haryana from 10.7 per cent to 5.6 per cent. The centre of gravity has clearly shifted: Tier-2 cities now command 62 per cent of sales versus 38 per cent in metros.
Hatchbacks still steal the show with 52 per cent share, SUVs revved up to 32 per cent (up sharply from previous years), while sedans eased to 16 per cent. Baleno became India’s undisputed used-car king at 15.5 per cent, followed by Grand i10 at 13.2 per cent and Kwid at 11.3 per cent. Nexon, Tiago, Elite i20, City, Swift, Amaze and Creta rounded out the top 10, with compact SUVs and feature-packed rides clearly winning hearts.
Buyers are spending more average selling price settled at Rs 5.47 lakh but not uniformly. Karnataka led at Rs 5.06 lakh thanks to newer models, Tamil Nadu at Rs 5.49 lakh, Maharashtra Rs 5.06 lakh, Gujarat Rs 5.05 lakh and Uttar Pradesh the most value-driven at Rs 4.90 lakh. Petrol ruled with 84.5 per cent share, diesel 9.46 per cent, petrol+CNG 5.96 per cent and EVs/hybrids a tiny 0.08 per cent. Manuals still dominate at 72 per cent, automatics at 28 per cent, with younger buyers, women and metro residents leaning more towards self-shifters.
Silver emerged as the nation’s favourite shade (over 30 per cent), teaming with white to claim 57 per cent of all cars. Financing is now the real hero, 52 per cent of buyers went the EMI route in 2025 (average Rs 11,400 monthly), up dramatically from 23 per cent in 2024, with non-metro markets hitting an impressive 58 per cent penetration. Digital lending handled the heavy lifting, especially for cars above Rs 7 lakh where financing crossed 60 per cent by early 2026.
From AI-powered confidence to feature-packed upgrades and EMI-friendly ownership, 2025 proved one thing loud and clear: India isn’t just buying used cars, it’s choosing smarter, bolder and far more exciting rides than ever before. The future of driving? It’s already on the road, and it’s looking remarkably well-certified.
e-commerce
Amazon unveils first Trustworthy Shopping Experience Report
32,000 bad actors targeted, 15 million fake products removed in 2025.
MUMBAI: In a marketplace where trust is the real currency, Amazon is showing its receipts. Amazon has released its first-ever Trustworthy Shopping Experience Report, offering a detailed look at how it polices its vast digital shelves from counterfeit crackdowns to scam detection and review authenticity. At the heart of the report is a four-pronged strategy, proactive controls, risk anticipation, enforcement against bad actors, and consumer protection. The scale is staggering. Since 2020, Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit has pursued over 32,000 bad actors globally through litigation and criminal referrals spanning 14 countries.
The clean-up drive accelerated in 2025, with the company identifying and disposing of more than 15 million counterfeit products worldwide. Legal action also led to the takedown of over 100 websites linked to fake reviews and scams, an ongoing battle in the age of algorithmic manipulation.
Behind the scenes, artificial intelligence and machine learning are doing the heavy lifting. Amazon says it monitors billions of daily interactions across listings, reviews, and seller activity to spot trouble before it surfaces. Its predictive systems can even flag potentially infringing listings for trending products before brands raise the alarm.
Tools like Omniscan, which verifies product safety information at scale, and SENTRIX, designed to detect and eliminate phishing websites, are part of this expanding tech arsenal. Together, they aim to reduce risk while keeping the platform usable for legitimate sellers.
That balance between protection and friction is a tightrope Amazon acknowledges. Rohan Oommen, Vice President of Worldwide Customer and Partner Trust, noted that while safeguards are critical, they must not stifle genuine businesses. Features like the Account Health Dashboard are meant to give sellers clearer visibility into compliance and performance.
Consumer-facing measures are also getting sharper. From direct safety alerts to recall notifications and refund guidance, Amazon is leaning into transparency, backed by partnerships with consumer organisations to raise awareness.
The report’s release follows the expansion of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit into India, signalling a deeper push into one of its fastest-growing markets, with closer coordination planned between brands, sellers, and law enforcement.
In short, as online shopping grows more complex, Amazon is betting that trust built through data, enforcement, and a fair bit of algorithmic vigilance will be its most valuable product yet.
