Contribution margin of 70% of net revenue and a 21% lower cost base beneath it produced a $1.13 million swing toward profitability in a single year; the remaining gap is smaller than the ground already covered

BENGALURU, India, Aug. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoomcar Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: ZCAR), India's largest peer-to-peer self-drive car-sharing marketplace, today set out the structural changes in its business that are driving it toward Adjusted EBITDA breakeven, drawing on results for the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2026 reported earlier this month.

Over the past four quarters, quarterly contribution profit grew by approximately $0.51 million while the operating costs sitting below the contribution line fell by approximately $0.62 million, a combined swing of $1.13 million toward profitability in a single year. The distance still to travel is roughly half of what Zoomcar has already closed since June 2025, and it is roughly one-third of the contribution profit the business generates each quarter.

Two forces converge at profitability: what each booking earns, and what the platform costs to run. Both moved decisively in the same direction this quarter. Contribution profit rose 45% to a record $1.65 million from $1.14 million a year ago, on net revenue of $2.35 million. Contribution margin reached 70% of net revenue against 49%, an expansion of 2,100 basis points, and contribution profit per booking rose 72% to $18.75 from $10.89. Beneath that line, operating costs fell approximately 21% to $2.26 million from $2.88 million.

The result is that contribution profit now funds roughly 73 cents of every dollar of operating cost below it, against 40 cents a year ago. Loss from operations, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, narrowed 50% to $0.88 million from $1.76 million, and Adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed 65% to $0.61 million from $1.74 million, the lowest in the eleven quarters presented. Operating costs below the contribution line are derived by subtraction rather than separately reported, as described under Non-GAAP Financial Measures below. All figures in this release were previously disclosed on August 14, 2026.

"Breakeven is not an event we are waiting for, it is a distance we are closing," said Sachin Gupta, Chief Financial Officer of Zoomcar. "Four quarters ago, contribution profit covered 40 cents of every dollar of operating cost beneath it. Today it covers 73. What remains is smaller than what we have already closed. The two lines that determine it are what a booking earns and what the platform costs to run, and both are still moving in our favor. We built that unit margin over 5.1 million trips. There is no way to skip that part."

Why the Trajectory Is Durable

Margins are structural, not promotional. The 2,100-basis-point margin expansion was achieved without significant discounting. Cost of revenue fell 38% to $0.81 million, driven principally by lower losses from accidental damage and theft following changes to insurance coverage and tech enabled loss-prevention measures, lifting gross margin to 65%. These are technology & process improvements built across the more than 5.1 million lifetime trips the company announced on August 4, 2026, and they do not reverse when a promotion ends.

Demand quality is compounding. Repeat users rose to 58% of bookings, and have held above prior-year levels for more than six quarters. Average guest trip rating rose to 4.8 out of 5, and hosts rated 4.5 or above grew 3%. A marketplace in which the majority of demand returns on its own earns its growth at progressively lower acquisition cost, which is the same dynamic that pulled contribution profit per booking up 72%.

The bookings mix is deliberate, and it is working. Bookings of 88,160 were 16% lower as reported, reflecting a deliberate shift toward longer, higher-value trips on the view that a single extended trip earns more than several short ones against broadly the same cost to serve. Value per booking rose approximately 7% to $66. Zoomcar earns in Indian rupees and reports in U.S. dollars, and the rupee weakened over the period, so reported figures understate the underlying business. In rupee terms, net revenue grew at a double-digit rate and the decline in gross booking value was considerably smaller. The company is trading volume it does not need for margin it keeps.

The model does not consume capital to grow. Zoomcar operates an asset-light marketplace in which supply-side partners absorb vehicle capital expenditure. Growth in supply therefore does not require growth in the balance sheet, and the platform has scaled to 109 cities and more than 2.0 million unique customers on that basis. Zoomcar's top five markets account for 56% of trip volume: Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Delhi NCR. Secondary and tertiary cities contribute an increasing share, a pattern consistent with network effects and word-of-mouth adoption rather than paid expansion.

The next growth leg carries almost no new fixed cost. Zoomcar took its first vehicle category beyond cars during the quarter, with a two-wheeler pilot live in-app in Bengaluru. The matching, screening and dispute-resolution infrastructure was built across 5.1 million car trips, and extending it to a second category costs a fraction of building it. Incremental categories therefore arrive at high contribution margins from the outset, which means revenue growth from here lands disproportionately on the bottom line.

Operating Leverage, Now Working in Zoomcar's Favor

At a 70% contribution margin, each incremental dollar of net revenue closes the remaining gap faster than at any point in the company's history. Zoomcar has now delivered eleven consecutive quarters of positive contribution profit, and the eleven-quarter low in Adjusted EBITDA loss is the direct consequence of that record combined with a smaller cost base. The company operates in an Indian self-drive rental market it estimates at approximately $28 billion, a market that remains significantly under-penetrated relative to developed geographies and in which traditional rental infrastructure is limited. Total addressable market figures are based on a combination of external sources, including 'India car sharing market revenues and volume forecast through 2031' (6Wresearch), and historical data from Zoomcar's business.

Capitalized for the Final Leg

Zoomcar is raising growth capital to fund the remaining distance to profitability and the scaling of new categories, rather than to cover structural losses. In the ongoing efforts, Zoomcar has launched a private placement bridge financing round with a $1 million minimum allotment and up to $10 million including overallotment and has successfully raised approximately $1.8 million to date. A warrant exchange tender offer to simplify the capital structure was approved by shareholders at the annual meeting and has concluded on August 14, 2026, and the company has also engaged an investment bank to explore a potential uplisting to a premier U.S. national securities exchange. Debt restructuring continues, with the objective of reducing finance costs, a further direct step toward positive net income, and moving toward positive net worth.

Additional Information

Zoomcar reported its fiscal first quarter results on August 14, 2026, and management discussed the quarter on its Q1 FY 26-27 earnings call the same day. A replay of the call, the earnings release and the accompanying GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations are available in the investor relations section of the company's website at https://investor-relations.zoomcar.com/in/. Zoomcar's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period is available at www.sec.gov. 

About Zoomcar

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Bengaluru, Zoomcar is India's largest peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace. The platform's digital-first marketplace infrastructure connects individual vehicle Hosts with Guests, providing flexible, on-demand access to personal mobility across 109 cities. Read about Zoomcar's journey at https://investor-relations.zoomcar.com/in/.

Securities Disclaimer

This press release is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. The securities issued under the bridge financing round as mentioned herein or any securities to be issued upon conversion thereof have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold absent registration or an applicable exemption. They are restricted securities offered exclusively to verified accredited investors under Section 4(a)(2) and/or Rule 506(c) of Regulation D. The Company takes reasonable steps to verify accredited status. These securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

Forward Looking Statement

Other than any historical data provided herein, this press release contains projections and other forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding future operations, strategy and performance, including statements regarding the company's trajectory and estimates toward Adjusted EBITDA breakeven, operating leverage, margin durability, new vehicle categories, market opportunity, anticipated debt restructuring. Words such as "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "will," "trajectory," "path," or similar expressions identify these statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and past improvement in operating results is not a guarantee of future performance or of achieving profitability. Nothing in this release constitutes financial guidance. Key risk factors are detailed in Zoomcar's SEC filings, including its latest Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov. These statements reflect conditions only as of the date of this release, and Zoomcar assumes no obligation to update them, except as required by law.

Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Metrics

The following is the reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to the most comparable GAAP measure for the quarter ending June 30, 2026 as compared to June 30, 2025.

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that represents our net income or loss adjusted for (i) depreciation and amortization (ii) finance costs, (iii) Gain on troubled debt restructuring and (iv) Other income/Expense.

Contribution Profit/(Loss)

The following is the calculation of Contribution Profit to the most comparable GAAP measure for the quarter ending June 30,2026 as compared to June 30, 2025.

We define contribution profit as our gross profit plus (a) depreciation expense included in cost of revenue, (b) Stock based compensation included in cost of revenue, (c) other general costs included in cost of revenue (rent, software support, insurance, travel); less (i) Host incentive payments and (ii) marketing and promotional expenses (excluding brand marketing).

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SOURCE Zoomcar