We often come across several discussions online where the price of cars in India is compared with prices in other countries. In India, many cars are extremely expensive because of high taxes. While the government did make changes to the GST slabs recently, some of these cars, especially the luxury ones, are still on the expensive side. We often compare the prices of these cars in India with Dubai. Here, we have a video that shows how cheaper cars like the Land Rover Defender, Mercedes G-Wagen, and Toyota Fortuner are in Dubai compared to our market.
The video has been shared by Nisha Gour on her Instagram page. In this video, the vlogger or social media influencer has a discussion with her friend about car prices in India and Dubai. They start with the Land Rover Defender.
The price of the Land Rover Defender in India starts at around Rs 98 lakh, ex-showroom, and goes all the way up to Rs 2.60 crore, ex-showroom. The woman in the video claims that a Land Rover Defender would only cost Rs 54 lakh in Dubai. The exact variant or version she is referring to is not mentioned.
Next on the list is the Toyota Fortuner, which is a popular SUV not just in India but around the world. It is one of those SUVs in the Indian market that has not lost its popularity and demand despite price hikes several times. In India, the price of a Toyota Fortuner starts at Rs 33.65 lakh, ex-showroom, and goes all the way up to Rs 48.85 lakh, ex-showroom. According to the video, a Toyota Fortuner costs only Rs 26 lakh in Dubai.
Next is the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen or G63 AMG. This iconic luxury SUV currently costs around Rs 3.30 crore, ex-showroom. The SUV is a favourite among many celebrities and sports personalities around the world. In Dubai, this SUV costs Rs 2.60 crore.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is the next SUV. The current-generation SUV has a long waiting period, and the vehicle comes with several premium features. It costs around Rs 2.16 crore to Rs 2.25 crore, ex-showroom, in India. The same SUV in Dubai costs only Rs 64 lakh. This is actually an extremely interesting price for an SUV of that size.
The last car in the video is a Lexus. They don’t mention the specific model, but the influencer’s friend states that it costs around Rs 4 crore in India. The most expensive car sold by Lexus in India is the LM 350h MPV. The on-road price of this would be around Rs 3.42 crore. If the influencer was comparing the price of this model in India with Dubai, she claims that the Lexus would only cost around Rs 1 crore there.
While we admit that cars in Dubai, especially luxury cars, are cheaper, we are not sure if the prices mentioned here are accurate. As usual, there are many videos online where people spread misinformation just for the sake of gaining views on social media.
If you are asking why cars are so expensive in India, the correct answer is taxes. India is known for high tax rates. Many of the cars sold in the Indian market are not actually manufactured here—they are either imported or assembled locally. This adds to the cost of the vehicle. This is the reason why we are forced to pay more than 100 percent of the actual cost of the vehicle.