Monday Aug 31, 2026
Monday Aug 31, 2026
Monday, 31 August 2026 00:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka’s total vehicle registrations declined by 8.5% month-on-month (MoM) to 53,221 units in July from 58,151 units in June, continuing the moderation from the May 2026 peak of 62,776 units, according to JB Securities.
The July total was 15.2% below the May peak. JB Securities said the moderation was broad-based, led by lower registrations of SUVs and crossovers, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, pickups and tractors.
Passenger vehicle registrations remained relatively resilient, while several commercial vehicle categories recorded improvements.
Motor car registrations declined to 3,654 units in July from 3,929 in June. In contrast, brand-new car registrations increased to 1,062 units from 998, with BYD strengthening its leadership position with 800 registrations, led by the Atto 1 with 612 units and Dolphin Dynamic with 180. BAW recorded 63 E7 registrations, Wuling 53 and Perodua 27. Small cars accounted for 97.6% of all brand-new motor car registrations.
JB Securities said the financing share for brand-new cars remained subdued at 42.8%, broadly unchanged from recent months. It said this continued to suggest that a meaningful portion of registrations may represent dealer inventory rather than final customer deliveries, reflecting efforts to avoid the 90-day registration deadline and associated penalties. The brokerage cautioned that the data it receives show only first-time registrations, with subsequent registration following final sale or transfer to the financier not visible in the statistics.
Pre-owned car registrations declined to 2,592 units from 2,931 in June. Suzuki remained the market leader with 835 registrations, led by the Wagon R with 649, followed by Toyota with 745, Nissan with 439 and Daihatsu with 420. Small cars accounted for 96.1% of all pre-owned registrations.
SUV and crossover registrations fell to 4,439 units from 5,933 in June, with both brand-new and pre-owned registrations weakening. Toyota remained the market leader with 1,401 registrations, led by the Raize with 930 and Urban Cruiser with 294. Honda followed with 936 registrations, almost entirely represented by the Vezel with 923, while BYD recorded 490 units.
Hybrid registrations declined to 2,288 units from 3,023 in June, with SUVs accounting for virtually all registrations. Toyota and Honda remained the dominant hybrid brands, while BYD continued to expand its presence through the Sealion and Denza ranges.
Electric vehicle registrations eased to 7,170 units from 7,745 in June but remained at historically elevated levels. Electric two-wheelers accounted for 5,544 registrations, while EV motor car registrations stood at 992, of which BYD accounted for 801.
Two-wheelers remained by far the largest vehicle category despite registrations declining to 38,216 units from 40,007 in June. Honda emerged as the largest brand with 8,510 registrations, reclaiming the leadership it enjoyed before COVID-19, followed closely by Bajaj with 8,096, TVS with 6,932, Yamaha with 4,227 and Hero with 3,720.
Three-wheeler registrations declined sharply to 3,741 units from 4,962 in June, while pickups fell to 391 from 635. In contrast, van registrations increased to 763 units from 654, medium trucks rose to 381 from 348 and buses increased to 180 from 128.
Locally assembled vehicle registrations edged up to 5,330 units from 5,314 in June, with two-wheelers accounting for 4,691 units.
By source market, Indian imports declined to 33,201 units from 36,307 in June, with two-wheelers accounting for 27,341. Chinese imports fell to 7,626 from 8,165, with BYD recording 1,290 registrations across motor cars and SUVs. Japanese imports accounted for around 6,050 units in July, concentrated in motor cars, SUVs and crossovers, and vans.
