NEW DELHI — India’s vehicle financing landscape is shifting toward a segmented growth trajectory, anchored by robust demand in commercial vehicle (CV) lending, rapid formalization of used-car financing, and deepening market penetration beyond major urban centers, according to the latest credit bureau data released by CRIF High Mark.

The comprehensive industry report highlights a fundamental evolution in how retail and commercial borrowers access automotive credit, propelled by rising ticket sizes, expanding non-urban demand, and stable asset quality metrics.

Segmented Growth Engines: Used-Car and Commercial Vehicle Loans

Commercial vehicle financing emerged as the primary structural growth engine over the five-year period spanning June 2021 to June 2026, delivering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.1 percent.

Concurrently, used-car financing posted the fastest growth across all categories, expanding at a 26.2 percent five-year CAGR. The borrower base for pre-owned vehicle loans expanded by 2.4 times over the same period, signaling a decisive shift from informal lending channels toward structured institutional credit.

Entry-Level Credit Expansion and Premium Shift

Two-wheeler financing maintained its position as the largest credit entry point by volume. Active two-wheeler borrowers rose from approximately 2.3 crore in June 2021 to 3.6 crore in June 2026. Crucially, roughly 80 percent of two-wheeler credit recipients were identified as new-to-product (NTP) borrowers, serving as a primary gateway for first-time borrowers into India's formal financial ecosystem.

In the passenger auto segment, origination trends reflect a premium-led trajectory:

  • Ticket Size Expansion: Average exposure per auto borrower expanded at a 9.2 percent CAGR from June 2021 to June 2026, pushing the overall average ticket size to ₹8.6 lakh.

  • Premiumization: High-value auto loans—defined as credit exposures exceeding ₹15 lakh—increased their portfolio share from 27.6 percent in Q1 FY25 to 29.8 percent in Q1 FY27.

  • Origination Volume: Total vehicle finance originations grew 17.1 percent year-over-year in Q1 FY27, backed by consistent volume expansion across categories. Within used-car originations, 75 percent of fresh disbursements went to first-time product borrowers.

Geographic Penetration Beyond Major Metros

Credit origination data underscores a rapid expansion into Tier-2, Tier-3, and rural markets, categorized as Beyond Top 100 (BT100) geographies. Two-wheeler financing led non-metro penetration with a 53 percent BT100 share, while commercial vehicle loans recorded a 45 percent share in BT100 regions.

Asset quality across the auto finance sector remains broadly stable. While commercial vehicle loans continue to experience relatively higher early-stage delinquency, later-stage non-performing assets (NPAs) have shown steady improvement across all segments. Passenger auto loans maintained the strongest overall credit profile.

The surge in average ticket sizes and multi-loan borrower cohorts reflects deepening lender relationships and sustained consumer credit appetite across tier-structured Indian markets.