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Tier-2 cities drive 58 per cent of car research on CarDekho platform
Uttar Pradesh leads state-wise searches as smaller markets show growing interest in luxury cars, SUVs and electric vehicles
MUMBAI: India’s next big car-buying wave may be gathering pace beyond its biggest cities. Tier-2 and smaller markets accounted for nearly 58 per cent of car research on CarDekho Group’s auto classifieds platform during August and September 2026, outpacing Tier-1 cities as consumers geared up for festive-season purchases.
According to the company’s latest insights, Tier-1 cities contributed the remaining 42 per cent of research activity. Patna, Lucknow and Jaipur featured among the platform’s top 10 cities for car research, suggesting that the festive shopping rush is extending well beyond the traditional metropolitan strongholds.
At the state level, Uttar Pradesh led with 13.3 per cent of car research, followed by Maharashtra at 12.3 per cent and Delhi at 9.1 per cent.
The findings also suggest that shoppers in smaller markets are looking beyond budget-friendly wheels. In Patna, luxury cars accounted for 6.7 per cent of car research — matching Bengaluru’s share and exceeding Delhi’s 6 per cent.
The premium-car appetite in smaller cities comes with a clear preference for sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Among luxury-car researchers in Tier-2 and smaller cities, SUVs accounted for nearly 70 per cent of searches, compared with 61 per cent in Tier-1 markets.
SUVs also dominated overall car research, featuring in nearly three-fourths of searches during the two-month period. Compact SUVs accounted for 41.4 per cent of SUV research across the platform, with their share rising to 42.8 per cent in Tier-2 and smaller cities, against 39.4 per cent in Tier-1 markets.
The numbers indicate that compact SUVs remain firmly on buyers’ radar across city tiers, while interest in premium vehicles suggests that smaller markets are not limiting their choices to entry-level models.
Hatchbacks, meanwhile, are also seeing a premium tilt. Premium hatchbacks accounted for 83 per cent of hatchback-related research on the platform, pointing to shoppers’ interest in higher-end variants within the segment.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are also making their way into pre-festive shopping lists. Roughly one in 10 car researchers on the platform considered an EV during the period.
Hyderabad recorded the highest EV share among the leading cities, at 15.7 per cent, followed by Jaipur at 14.9 per cent. Bengaluru stood at 11.1 per cent, Mumbai at 11 per cent and Delhi at 10.5 per cent.
More than half of all EV research on CarDekho’s platform came from Tier-2 and smaller cities, indicating that interest in electric mobility is spreading beyond established metropolitan markets.
Jaipur’s 14.9 per cent EV research share, for instance, was higher than Bengaluru’s 11.1 per cent, offering a snapshot of how smaller markets are emerging as important centres of electric-car consideration.
The figures do not necessarily translate into completed purchases, but they offer a view of what prospective buyers are exploring before making a decision.
Taken together, the findings point to a car market in which consumer interest is spreading across geographies and price segments. Smaller cities are contributing the larger share of research activity, while luxury vehicles, compact SUVs and EVs feature prominently in the choices being explored.
For automakers preparing for the festive season, the shift offers a reminder that demand is not confined to metropolitan showrooms. As buyers in smaller markets research a wider range of vehicles, the road to growth may increasingly run through cities beyond the usual big-city circuit.
