Vehicle Registrations Fell a Third in October, EVs Still Rose 5.4% — Real Trend or Tax Dodge?

Sri Lanka's overall vehicle registrations dropped sharply in October 2026, mostly dragged down by a crash in two-wheeler sales. In the middle of that slump, EV registrations actually grew around 5.4%, climbing to 6,374 units for the month, while new car and motorcycle numbers struggled. One side says this proves Sri Lankans are genuinely switching to electric now that fuel costs and running costs make the math obvious, even with higher upfront prices. The other side says it's not a real consumer shift at all — EVs sit in a much lighter tax bracket than petrol or diesel vehicles, so dealers and leasing companies are simply pushing the stock that gives them the best margin right now, not responding to buyer demand. If EV taxes ever move closer to petrol-car levels, does that 5.4% growth survive, or does it vanish overnight? Are you actually seeing people choose EVs because they want one, or is it mostly showrooms steering buyers there because the numbers work better for them? Oba EV එකක් ගන්නේ තෙල් ඉතිරි කරන්නද, නැත්නම් බද්ද අඩු නිසාද?