Why leasing, not ownership, will drive the next wave of EV adoption in India?

This article is authored by Bharat Bala, Builder & CEO at AMP EV.

India’s electric vehicle (EV) story is moving beyond early adopters. With supportive policy, falling battery costs, and rising consumer awareness, the question is no longer if EVs will scale but how they can scale, sustainably. The answer may be in bespoke lending and subscription-led access.

Car ownership in India has always been aspirational. EVs however, challenge the economics of ownership. Higher upfront, rapid technology evolution, battery concerns, and resale uncertainty are prompting a structural rethink. Ergo customised access could be more powerful than ownership.

The Shift from CapEx to OpEx:

Traditional car ownership force fitted on EVs is a capital commitment. Significant upfront investment or long-term financing, locking consumers and businesses into minimum five- to seven-year commitments. In contrast, leasing converts this capital expenditure (CapEx) into operating expenditure (OpEx), preserving liquidity.

For businesses, this shift is even more strategic. Under Section 32 of the Income Tax Act, pure electric vehicles can qualify for 40% accelerated depreciation, significantly higher than the 15-20% applicable to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Combined with the 5% GST on EVs (versus 28% plus cess for many ICE vehicles), the financial case is non- negotiable. If the underlying risks, mythical and practical are taken care of.

Government support through schemes like the ₹10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE programme and Production Linked Incentives (PLI) for EV manufacturing is accelerating ecosystem adaptability. The ownership model however, still carries inherent risks of devaluation, range, technological obsolescence, and volatility. Subscriptions mitigate these risks by distributing them across multiple stakeholders owners, users, platforms, financiers and the ecosystem reducing concentration on a single owner.

Managing the Three Core EV Risks:

Sceptics often point to three risks in EV adoption: battery degradation, resale uncertainty, and rapid technological change. Leasing models are structurally better equipped to manage all three.

Battery Degradation: Most EV manufacturers offer warranties of up to 8 years or 160,000 km on battery packs. Subscription platforms can augment this with telematics-driven monitoring to track state-of-health and optimize usage patterns. Risk is pooled and managed rather than borne by an individual.

Resale Uncertainty: EV resale and secondary markets are nascent/ non-existent - value always remains a question mark, especially due to fast-evolving tech. Leasing models generate income throughout the vehicle’s lifecycle. By the time resale occurs, asset’s cost has been recovered, and the subscription revenue creates a better price point due to yield and utilisation.

Technology Obsolescence: EV technology is improving rapidly from range enhancements to software upgrades. Consumers rethink long ownership cycles for fear of being locked in. Subscriptions enable limited entry and exit load, aligning goals with pace of innovation.

B2B Adoption Will Lead the Charge:

If EV growth is analysed closely, B2B adoption appears poised to outpace individual ownership. Businesses operate and churn vehicles with higher utilization for better capital efficiency focused on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) benefits. Leasing structures allow scaling with reduced capital deployment. Additionally, ESG mandates and sustainability reporting are pushing corporations toward electrification faster than retail consumers.

From Product to Ecosystem:

Over the next five years, success in India’s EV landscape will hinge on ecosystem integration. Charging infrastructure expansion, supported by government allocation PM E-DRIVE, reduces range anxiety. PLI incentives lower manufacturing costs, improving affordability. Fintech innovation enables flexible financing and subscriptions. Telematics improves asset monitoring. Leasing sits at the centre of this integrated ecosystem. It distributes incentives between manufacturers, businesses, subscribers, financiers, and policymakers. It ensures higher asset monetization. It converts depreciation into strategic advantage. Most importantly, it matches evolving consumer behaviour flexibility over long-term financial lock-ins.

The Cultural Reframing of Mobility:

India’s younger urban workforce is less attached to ownership than previous generations. Subscription models in entertainment, housing, and software have normalized access over possession. Cars are beginning to follow the same trajectory. The psychological shift is subtle but powerful: from “I own a car” to “I access mobility.” Premium EVs, with their rapid software evolution and technology-first positioning, are ripe for this model. It allows participation in the EV transition without bearing long-term uncertainty.

Conclusion:

India’s EV revolution is not a simple replacement of petrol cars with electric ones. It needs a structural reimagining of how e-mobility is perceived, financed and consumed. Ownership may have defined the past century of automotive growth. But in a capital-conscious, technology-accelerated, sustainability-driven economy, it needs a more adaptive framework. As policy support strengthens, ecosystem maturity deepens, and platforms refine asset-light subscription models, leasing is poised to become the primary engine of India’s next EV adoption wave. Electric mobility in India will be defined not by who owns the car, but by who monetizes it.

Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the original author and do not represent any of The Times Group or its employees.