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Smaller cities drive 58% of festive car searches on CarDekho, with Patna outranking Mumbai
Our read
Smaller cities will probably stay ahead of tier-1 on CarDekho searches, but bookings and dealer spending will follow only partially and with a lag.
For operators
Smaller cities made up 58% of CarDekho car searches in August-September 2026 against 42% for tier-1, so dealers and auto retailers should weight festive stock and showroom staffing toward tier-2 and smaller markets, with SUVs getting priority.
Watch
Tier-2+ share of CarDekho searches above the 58% reported, at the close of the festive season, would mean smaller-city demand is lasting and dealers and lenders there gain.
The report
CarDekho Group reported that tier-2 and smaller cities made up 58% of car searches on its platform in August and September 2026, against 42% for tier-1 cities. Patna outranked Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and interest in SUVs, luxury and electric cars is rising.
- Tier-2 and smaller cities
- 58%
- Tier-1 cities
- 42%
of Car searches on CarDekho, Aug-Sep 2026
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Demand data
From the report. Source details below
| Uttar Pradesh share of online car research: | 13.3% |
|---|---|
| Maharashtra share of online car research: | 12.3% |
| Delhi share of online car research: | 9.1% |
What it says about consumers
CarDekho data shows tier-2+ cities at 58% of festive car searches against 42% for tier-1, with Uttar Pradesh at 13.3% ahead of Delhi at 9.1%, which points to demand growth outside metros, though this is search intent rather than sales.
Next data points
- Uttar Pradesh staying above Maharashtra's 12.3% share in CarDekho's next release
- SUV share of smaller-city luxury research against the roughly 70% reported
- Festive-month registrations in smaller cities versus metros
- Carmaker or lender announcements of new tier-2 outlets or loan schemes
The counter-case
The case against this reading — not reported by the source.
The headline treats search share as if it were demand, and the two are not the same. Searches are cheap and aspirational, and they convert at very different rates across cities. The 58% figure is also a residual bucket: it covers every city outside the tier-1 group, so it will naturally outweigh a handful of metros on population alone. Patna outranking Mumbai is a raw-volume comparison. Without per-capita or per-household figures, it says little about buying intent. UP (13.3%) leading the states is mostly a function of population, while Delhi at 9.1% looks high for a city-state, which hints that tier-1 intensity is actually stronger. The claim that SUVs are about 70% of luxury research in smaller cities may reflect browsing of aspirational, high-ticket models rather than purchases. The data comes from one platform whose audience skews mobile-first and towards buyers with fewer showrooms nearby. Tier-1 buyers may research elsewhere, such as OEM sites, dealers, Google and marketplaces, so CarDekho's mix may overstate the smaller-city share. Finally, the signal is tagged 'footfall' but contains no showroom visits, test drives, bookings or registrations.