KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Multiple brands implemented a car price hike effective January 2026
- Price revisions affect hatchbacks, SUVs, sedans and EVs across segments
- Some models see selective hikes, while others get variant-level adjustments
The new year has kicked off with a car price hike wave across the Indian automotive market, as multiple manufacturers revised prices effective January 2026. Rising input costs, higher logistics expenses, currency fluctuations and increased regulatory compliance costs have pushed brands to recalibrate their pricing strategies. From mass-market hatchbacks and compact SUVs to premium sedans and luxury vehicles, the car price hike in January 2026 impacts a wide spectrum of buyers. For prospective customers, this round of revisions makes it more important than ever to track brand-wise and model-wise updates before finalising a purchase decision. Read on to find out more details, but before that, make sure to join the 91wheels WhatsApp Community, specifically curated for petrolheads like us to keep up with the latest news and automotive updates.
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1. Toyota
Toyota has ushered in January 2026 with a round of price hikes and variant reshuffles across its large SUV and MPV portfolio, citing rising production costs, though without spelling out specifics. Models impacted include the Fortuner, Innova Hycross, and Innova Crysta, while prices of the Hyryder, Taisor, Hilux, Rumion, Vellfire, Camry and Land Cruiser 300 remain unchanged. The Fortuner range has become costlier by Rs 51,000 to Rs 74,000, with the base 4ײ MT petrol now priced at Rs 34.16 lakh and the top-spec GR-S touching Rs 49.59 lakh; Toyota has also discontinued the limited-edition Leader variants. The Innova Hycross sees hikes of up to Rs 48,000, along with the discontinuation of the base G variants, making the GX 7-seater at Rs 19.15 lakh the new entry point, while hybrid VX, ZX and ZX(O) trims have all moved up in price.
The Innova Crysta has also been revised upwards by Rs 21,000 to Rs 33,000, with base GX variants now starting at Rs 18.99 lakh and the ZX topping out at Rs 25.53 lakh. Additionally, Toyota has trimmed the Rumion lineup by discontinuing the base E MT, pushing the starting price to Rs 10.44 lakh for the S MT Neo Drive, even though overall prices for the MPV remain unchanged.
2. Honda
Honda Cars India has revised prices across its popular lineup, impacting the Elevate, Amaze and City. The 2026 Honda Elevate sees the steepest hike on the base SV petrol-manual variant, which is costlier by Rs 59,990, with the SUV now priced between Rs 11.60 lakh and Rs 16.25 lakh (ex-showroom). The 2026 Honda Amaze presents a mixed picture, as while select variants have become dearer by Rs 6,990, the older-generation base petrol-manual variant has received a substantial price cut of nearly Rs 1 lakh, resulting in a revised price range of Rs 5.99 lakh to Rs 10.0 lakh. Meanwhile, the 2026 Honda City has also undergone a price hike, with the ZX hybrid automatic variant witnessing the highest increase of Rs 51,700, and overall prices for the sedan now spanning Rs 11.95 lakh to Rs 20.0 lakh (ex-showroom).
3. Volkswagen
Volkswagen India has rolled out a selective price revision across its India 2.0 lineup as 2026 begins, impacting the Taigun SUV and Virtus sedan while leaving the Golf GTI and Tiguan unchanged. Interestingly, the Taigun's entry-level Comfortline variant has become more affordable, now priced at Rs 10.58 lakh after a reduction of around Rs 84,000, although all other variants see a modest, uniform hike of roughly Rs 4,000, taking the overall Taigun price range from Rs 10.58 lakh to Rs 19.19 lakh. A similar strategy has been applied to the Virtus, where the base Comfortline is cheaper by Rs 66,000 at Rs 10.50 lakh, but higher trims are costlier, with the Highline AT and GT Line MT up by Rs 51,000, Highline Plus MT and AT dearer by Rs 46,000 and Rs 45,000 respectively, and the Topline AT seeing a marginal Rs 2,000 hike.
Variants powered by the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with a manual gearbox now cost Rs 10,000 more, while dual-clutch automatic versions are pricier by up to Rs 30,000, resulting in the Virtus now being priced between Rs 10.50 lakh and Rs 19 lakh (ex-showroom) as of January 2026.
4. Skoda
Skoda has revised prices across its core India lineup for 2026, covering the Kylaq sub-4m SUV, Kushaq midsize SUV, and Slavia midsize sedan, while the flagship Kodiaq remains unchanged at Rs 39.99 lakh to Rs 45.96 lakh (ex-showroom). The Slavia sees the steepest increase, with the Monte Carlo 1.0-litre automatic becoming costlier by up to Rs 34,000, though prices of the Classic variant (Rs 10 lakh) and the Monte Carlo MT and Prestige MT variants (Rs 15 lakh) remain unchanged, and other Slavia trims witness hikes ranging from Rs 16,000 to Rs 29,000.
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The Kylaq now starts at Rs 7.59 lakh, up by Rs 4,000, with the fully loaded Prestige trim seeing the highest increase, Rs 19,000 for the automatic and Rs 15,000 for the manual. Meanwhile, the Kushaq range begins at Rs 10.66 lakh, reflecting a Rs 5,000 hike on the base Signature AT, while the Onyx variant records the highest increase of Rs 7,000, and all other trims go up by Rs 6,000.
5. BMW
BMW has announced a 2-3 percent price hike across its India lineup to counter rising costs and protect margins in the current fiscal year. Locally assembled models such as the 3 Series LWB, 5 Series LWB, X1, X5 and X7 will see a 2 percent increase, while fully imported CBU models including the i7, iX, M5, M8, XM and Z4 will become 3 percent costlier. This marks BMW India's first revision since the last hike in September 2025 and is largely driven by currency pressure, with the Indian rupee depreciating, raising import and production costs for European automakers and prompting BMW to realign prices to maintain profitability.
6. BYD
BYD India has announced a price revision for the Sealion 7 electric SUV effective January 1, 2026, with the Premium variant becoming Rs 50,000 costlier, now priced at Rs 49.40 lakh (ex-showroom), up from Rs 48.90 lakh. The Sealion 7 Performance trim remains unchanged, retaining its earlier pricing. Buyers who completed bookings on or before December 31, 2025, will be protected from the hike and receive their vehicles at the old ex-showroom prices. BYD attributes the increase to continued investments in advanced technology, safety enhancements, and customer experience infrastructure, stating that the revision is intended to preserve long-term product value rather than reposition the Sealion 7 in India's premium EV space.
7. Citroen
Citroen has revised prices across its India lineup, impacting the Basalt, C3 and Aircross. The 2026 Citroen Basalt sees its highest increase of Rs 45,000 on the Max variant with both the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol manual and automatic powertrains, with prices now ranging from Rs 8.15 lakh to Rs 13.56 lakh (ex-showroom). The Citroen C3 has also become costlier, with the Shine variant powered by the 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol manual receiving the steepest hike of Rs 40,865, pushing the model's price band to Rs 4.95 lakh- Rs 9.45 lakh. Meanwhile, the Citroen Aircross gets a mixed revision, where the Plus 5-seater NA petrol-manual variant sees the highest hike of Rs 32,000, even as the Plus 7-seater turbo-petrol manual has become cheaper by Rs 50,000 compared to September 22, 2025 prices. Post revision, the Aircross is now priced between Rs 8.49 lakh and Rs 14.14 lakh (ex-showroom).
Verdict
The January 2026 car price hike trend underlines a broader shift in the industry, where cost pressures are increasingly being passed on to end consumers. While some models have seen marginal increases, others have witnessed sharper hikes depending on variants, powertrains and import dependence. That said, a few manufacturers have balanced the hikes with variant rejigs, selective price protection for early buyers, or even reductions on specific trims. For buyers, the key takeaway is clear, staying informed about car price hike updates can help in making smarter, better-timed purchasing decisions in an evolving and cost-sensitive market.
