Many of us have heard about people buying products from military canteens or stores at lower prices than their actual prices. Such stores are called Canteen Stores Departments or CSDs. It goes without saying that not everyone is eligible to buy products from CSDs and are only available to military personnel, ex-servicemen, and their families. In this article, we learn about CSD cars – cars which are sold in CSD stores. Read on to learn what CSD cars are, what the benefits of buying them are, and how you can buy one.
What are CSD Cars?
Like many other products, CSDs also sells cars at subsidised rates, therefore the upfront cost of a CSD car is lower than the regular price of the car. While discounts on food products and other household necessities remain in the hundreds and thousands, discounts on vehicles can go up to lakhs, making CSD cars immensely appealing propositions. This is because discounts are given in percentages.
CSD Car Purchase Eligibility
While CSD cars, because of their prices, are appealing, only select individuals are eligible to buy CSD cars. CSD cars are only available for serving and retired Armed forces Personnel (as applicable) of Pay level 1 to 18, widows of military personnel and ex-servicemen, and Defence civilians (Paid Out of Defence Estimates) in pay level 11 to 18 (Including Family Pensioners).
Pay Band | Car Price excluding tax | Period |
Armed Forces Personnel in Pay Band 1 -5 | Rs. 8 lakhs for ICE cars Rs. 13 lakhs for EVs | First car in service and second car post-retirement. After 5 years of service, first car can be purchased, and there should be a gap of minimum 8 years between 2 cars. |
Armed Forces Personnel in Pay Band 6-9 | Rs.10 lakhs for ICE cars Rs.15 lakhs for EVs | First car can be purchased as an OR, second car on promotion to rank of JCO, and third car after retirement. The gap between two cars should be a minimum of 8 years. |
Armed Forces Personnel in Pay Band 10-18 | Rs.20 lakhs for ICE cars Rs.25 lakhs for EVs | Once in 8 Years |
Serving and Retired Civilian Officers In Pay Level 11 To 18 | Rs.20 lakhs for ICE cars Rs.25 lakhs for EVs | Once in 8 years |
What are the benefits of buying a CSD Car?
Here are some key benefits of buying CSD cars:
- As mentioned, CSD cars are considerably more affordable than regular ones and therefore, buying a CSD car saves you a lot of money.
- While not every car is available on a CSD store, a wide range of cars from different brands can be bought on CSD stores.
- Unlike some regular car dealerships which have some cost additions of their own, CSD cars are free of any dealership charges.
How to check CSD Car prices?
You can check CSD cars prices on their official portal: https://afd.csdindia.gov.in/. However, you will be required to create an account to explore the website.
How to buy a CSD Car?
If you are eligible to buy a CSD car, here are the steps you can follow to do it.
1) Go to the official CSD AFD portal – https://afd.csdindia.gov.in/, and make your account by filling up the required information.
2) Once the CSD authorities verify your account, you will be notified via SMS and email.
3) Contact the CSD store in your area to check the availability of the car you want to purchase.
4) Keep the required documents ready:
- CSD Canteen Smart Card
- PAN card
- Aadhaar card
- Availability Certificate from CSD Car Dealer
- PPO (Pension Payment Order) /Discharge Book/Release Order (For Ex-Serviceman)
- Last Pension slip (For Ex-Serviceman)
5) Login to the CSD AFD portal with your username and password.
6) Choose the brand and car model you want to buy
7) Select the state, CSD depot, CSD dealer
8) Enter the required details and verify the auto-filled details such as personal information, contact details, and eligibility documents such as PAN card, Aadhaar card, Pension Payment Order (PPO) and Pension Slip.
9) Make the online payment.
10) Once the payment is made, the CSD AFD portal will process the order and issue an LS order (Local Supply order) after verification, which may take 3-4 days.
11) On the day of delivery, visit the authorised dealer with the LS order and some required documents and collect the car.
Popular cars available on CSD stores
While there are many cars available on CSD stores, here are some of the most popular cars which you can purchase on CSD stores.
Under Rs. 5 lakh | Under Rs. 10 lakh | Under Rs. 15 lakh | Under Rs. 20 lakh |
Maruti Suzuki Alto | Maruti Suzuki Swift | Tata Nexon | Hyundai Creta |
Hyundai i20 | Hyundai Venue | Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara | |
Maruti Suzuki Baleno | Maruti Suzuki Brezza | Honda City |
Summary
Discounts are always attractive and since car ownership is already a pricey affair, it is great to get a discount on the upfront cost. CSD cars offer great deals and if you are an eligible individual for a CSD car, you can enjoy rebates of thousands to lakhs. With this article, you learn everything about CSD cars and the steps you can follow to buy one.
FAQ
How can I check CSD car prices?
To check CSD car prices, you need to make an account on the CSD AFD portal: https://afd.csdindia.gov.in/, and you can only make this account if you belong to the following categories:
* Serving and retired Armed forces Personnel (as applicable) of Pay level 1 to 18
* Widows of military personnel and ex-servicemen
* Defence civilians (Paid Out of Defence Estimates) in pay levels 11 to 18 (Including Family Pensioners).How much discount does a CSD car price offer?
CSD car prices can have up to 50 percent discount on GST. In regular cars’ ex-showroom prices, GST is included 28 percent.
