The Indian car market features some of the most desired brands offering cars built for every need. While Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Tata Motors dominate the current market, contributing 70% of overall sales in September 2022, there are other car brands that have found their own successful niches. Looking at the popular car brands in India, you can find a car in your desired segment with the preferred engine and feature package to make your purchase as value-for-money as possible. If you are looking to buy a car, you should have a good idea about the popular car brands in India, in terms of sales, and what they have to offer.
Maruti Suzuki
No real surprises on who tops the list of popular car brands in India. The Indian manufacturer offers a balanced package for middle-class families with vehicles ranging from small-city hatchbacks to premium SUVs. They provide best-in-class cabin space, mileage, service, and affordable pricing thus enabling them to dominate the Indian market. However, there are compromises on some factors such as safety and build quality on some of their entry-level products. They predominantly offer city hatchbacks and sedans with cars such as the Alto, Wagon R, Baleno, Swift, Dzire, S-Presso, Alto, Ignis, Ciaz, and much more.
Hyundai
The giant Korean-based manufacturer, having spent nearly 25 years in India has a strong foothold in the country. This has allowed it to maintain its position as number 2 in this list of popular car brands in India. Furthermore, they have now added a manufacturing facility and an R&D center in India, it is one of their most important markets globally. They are known for their reliability, attractive designs, good service network, and price range. Their portfolio today consists of affordable premium hatchbacks, sedans, and SUVs with cars such as Santro, Grand i10 Nios, i20, i20 N Line, Aura, Verna, Venue, Venue N line, Creta, in the more affordable segment and Alcazar, Tucson, and Kona Electric in the premium category which was launched recently in September 2022.
Tata
Tata is one of the popular car brands in India that has had its fair share of ups and downs. Tata Motors is a leading automotive manufacturer across passenger cars, trucks, buses, vans, and other segments. Since its acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover in 2008, its fortunes changed as its sales doubled, new factories opened and it gave jobs to thousands of employees. With the launch of its popular Nexon compact SUV, the shift in focus to better-build quality and safety helped it become a solid choice for Indian consumers and enabled it to make a solid comeback. Their product range includes quality hatchbacks, sedans, and SUVs such as the Nexon, Punch, Harrier, Safari, Altroz, Tiago, and Tigor. Tata also leads the EV segment, with the Nexon EV and Tigor EV, and the upcoming Tiago EV which is also the cheapest EV to be sold in India. It was recently unveiled by the Indian carmaker and is now expected to hit showrooms by mid-January.
Mahindra
Mahindra Auto is one of India’s most popular car brands in India building passenger and commercial vehicles along with motorcycles, tractors, buses, vans, and land defense vehicles as well. Their models are mostly known for their masculinity and ruggedness plus their renowned off-road ability. They have a wide service network across the nation and their focus on offering well-equipped SUVs at affordable prices has helped establish their status as one of India’s popular brands. Some of their popular cars include the Thar, Scorpio N, Bolero, XUV 700, and XUV 300.
Kia
Kia is one of the newer car brands to enter India but has quickly established itself as a popular car maker in the country. The Korean company builds some of the country’s most premium range of SUVs and flagship models. They are the fastest manufacturer to reach sales milestones of one, two, and three lakh domestic sales. They are renowned for their abundance of segment-first features coupled with being aggressively priced in the market. Their cars are well-designed and built, which makes them an intriguing package overall. Their current portfolio includes premium cars such as the Seltos, Sonet, Carnival, and Carens.
Toyota
The Japanese auto giant still holds a strong grip on India’s automotive market. They are globally renowned for their reliability, affordable pricing, and service. They have recently focused on premium luxury cars and have made improvements in build quality, design, and features which have helped them level up in the market with the introduction of cars such as the Glanza and the latest Fortuner. Their selection includes hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs, and premium luxury vehicles with cars such as Innova Crysta, Urban Cruiser, Fortuner, Glanza, Camry, Hyryder, Vellfire, and the Hilux.
Honda
Honda has enjoyed a fair share of success as one of India’s popular car brands over the past few decades and still has an impact on the Indian car market. Their no-nonsense cars are known for being dependable, refined, and stellar reliability. Their most iconic car is the City which has been around for more than 20 years, followed by the Amaze and the Civic. They have explored a lot in the SUV segment with the 7-seater CR-V and smaller versions such as the Jazz-based WR-V and the BR-V. Their current portfolio mostly features urban-friendly models such as the City, Amaze, City Hybrid, WR-V, and the Jazz.
Renault
The French automaker has been in India for the past 6-7 years and has tasted reasonable success in the market. This has enabled it to make it to the list of the top 10 most popular car brands in India. As of now, they just have a relatively small number of offerings in their arsenal currently but have performed decently well. Renault in general is known for their peppy engines, and affordable range but is let down by the lack of service network and the build quality. The Kwid made waves for being an entry-level car packed with bells and whistles. The Triber and Kiger are good budget-friendly options for families who can easily seat seven people at an affordable price range. They have affordable cars in their portfolios such as the Kwid, Triber, Kiger, and Duster.
Volkswagen
Volkswagen offers some of the finest cars in India’s passenger car market. The German brand is eminent for its robust build quality and premium feel across segments. VW currently does not offer hatchbacks but has sedans and SUVs in their range. They recently discontinued the Polo, a hatchback that was the darling of enthusiasts in the past decade. They have relatively more upmarket models such as the Virtus, Taigun, and Tiguan.
MG Motors
MG Motors India is a subsidiary of the Chinese auto manufacturer SAIC Motors which markets vehicles in India using the British MG marque. They make it to this list of popular car brands in India, thanks to their popular MG Hector. As of now, they presently offer a wide range of upmarket SUVs which are premium-looking and loaded with premium tech features. They also offer a smart infotainment system, 5 to 7-seater options, and several drivetrain options for buyers. They are relatively new in the market and are yet to establish a solid service network in the country. Their cars include the Astor, Hector, Hector Plus, ZS EV, and the Gloster.
FAQs on Popular Car Brands In India
Q. Which car brand in India offers the safest cars?
Tata and Mahindra car brands in India offer some of the safest cars in India as of now. Some of the safest cars sold are from the house of Tata and Mahindra, such as the Altroz, Nexon, XUV700, XUV300 etc
Q. Which car brand in India is the most reliable?
Kia, Maruti, and Toyota offer some of the most reliable cars in India, with Kia having the lowest number of recalls, Maruti having a solid engine lineup, and Toyota having an overall reliable car platform
Q. Which car brand in India is the most popular?
As per sales, the most popular car brand in India is Maruti clocking over 1.6 lakh units in a year
Q. Which is the best-selling car brand in India?
The best-selling car brand in India is Maruti
I personally feel JLR Jagua Land Rover is also a very known and popular brand among Indians. Especially on the Bollywood and businessman and political side of India.