Ola Electric has been at the centre of a controversy surrounding its February 2025 sales numbers. The controversy erupted after reports suggested that Ola Electric had allegedly included bookings of yet-to-be-launched cars to inflate its numbers. The company has categorically denied such manipulation and claimed that the numbers represent only fully paid orders.
The Core of the Controversy
The controversy erupted when discrepancies were noticed between the number of vehicles reported by Ola Electric and the official registration data on the VAHAN portal. According to Ola, it recorded 10,866 Gen 3 e-scooter bookings and 1,395 Roadster X motorcycle bookings in February. However, the VAHAN portal only showed approximately 8,600 registrations for the same period.
In reply, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways asked for clarification from Ola, asking the company to correct the data and only provide those vehicles that had been billed and delivered. If not within seven days, further action would be taken.
Ola’s Justification: Only Full Payments Counted
Ola Electric, in its official statement, made it clear that the figures reported are true customer orders booked with full payments at the time of booking. The company noted that it did not include token payments or early bookings. From the statement, about 90% of such orders had full payments made at the time of purchase.
Ola also explained that ongoing negotiations with two suppliers were the reason for the registration discrepancies, which led to delays in the process over time. Transparency and accuracy are guaranteed by the company’s direct-to-consumer platform, which it claims has upended traditional automotive distribution methods.
What Lies Ahead
The result of this disagreement may have a significant influence on the company’s market reputation and confidence from investors, as the Ministry continues to await Ola’s explanation in detail. Although Ola assures that its statistics are genuine, the difference between registered and reported cars remains a subject of heated debate.
