The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga starts at ₹10.34 Lakh on the road in Mumbai, but the exact same base LXi Petrol MT costs just ₹9.71 Lakh in Puducherry and ₹10.73 Lakh in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. That ₹1.02 Lakh swing has nothing to do with the car and everything to do with each state’s road tax slab. Here is what the Ertiga actually costs on the road across India, which variant is worth buying, and whether the CNG version pays for itself.
Why the Ertiga Costs More in Some States Than Others
The Ertiga’s ex-showroom price is the same everywhere: ₹8.9 Lakh for the base LXi Petrol MT. What changes by state is the road tax, which is charged as a percentage of that ex-showroom price, plus a roughly ₹45,000 estimated insurance premium and ₹1,200 for FASTag and accessories. On The Spec’d’s city price pages, Puducherry charges just 4% road tax, the lowest of the 39 cities we price, while Andhra Pradesh charges 15.4% in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. That tax gap alone accounts for almost the entire ₹1.02 Lakh difference.
| City | On-Road Price (LXi Petrol MT) | Road Tax |
| Puducherry (cheapest) | ₹9.71 Lakh | 4% |
| Kolkata | ₹9.85 Lakh | 5.5% |
| New Delhi | ₹9.99 Lakh | 7% |
| Bengaluru | ₹10.62 Lakh | 14% |
| Mumbai | ₹10.34 Lakh | 11% |
| Chennai | ₹10.55 Lakh | 13% |
| Hyderabad | ₹10.66 Lakh | 14% |
| Vijayawada / Visakhapatnam (costliest) | ₹10.73 Lakh | 15.4% |
These are The Spec’d’s estimates, built from the maker’s ex-showroom price and each state’s published road-tax rules; see the full variant list and specs for every version. Registering a car in a state you do not actually live in just to chase a lower tax slab is a compliance risk, not a loophole worth taking.
Which Ertiga Variant Is Actually Worth Buying
The Ertiga has nine versions spread across three fuel and transmission combinations. The jump from LXi to VXi costs ₹1.05 Lakh and is worth it mainly for keyless entry and rear AC vents, both of which matter a lot in a car bought specifically to carry people in the back row. The real value sits one step up:
| Variant | Ex-Showroom Price | Step Over Previous |
| LXi Petrol MT | ₹8.9 Lakh | Base |
| VXi Petrol MT | ₹9.95 Lakh | +₹1.05 Lakh |
| VXi CNG MT | ₹10.94 Lakh | +₹98,500 over VXi Petrol |
| ZXi Petrol MT (best value) | ₹11.02 Lakh | +₹1.06 Lakh over VXi Petrol |
| VXi Petrol AT | ₹11.3 Lakh | +₹1.35 Lakh over VXi Petrol MT |
| ZXi+ Petrol MT | ₹11.79 Lakh | +₹77,600 over ZXi |
| ZXi+ Petrol AT (top) | ₹13.14 Lakh | +₹77,600 over ZXi Petrol AT |
Buy the ZXi Petrol MT. For ₹1.06 Lakh over the VXi, it adds the 7-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, alloy wheels, auto climate control, push-button start and a rear camera, the features that make a family MPV pleasant to live with daily. The ZXi+ above it adds cruise control and a nicer sound system for another ₹77,600, highway comforts you will use occasionally, not daily. Skip the automatic unless you need it for stop-start traffic: the VXi Petrol AT costs ₹1.35 Lakh more than the equivalent manual for a 6-speed box with no other upgrade.
Is the CNG Version Worth the Extra Money?
The VXi CNG MT costs ₹98,500 more than the VXi Petrol MT. In return, The Spec’d’s mileage page shows a claimed 26.11 km/kg on CNG against 20.51 kmpl on petrol, which works out to ₹3,060 per 1,000 km on CNG versus ₹4,880 on petrol, a saving of ₹1,820 per 1,000 km (worked out at ₹80 a kg of CNG and ₹100 a litre of petrol, the site’s standard reference prices). At that rate, the CNG premium pays for itself after roughly 54,000 km, about three and a half years for someone driving 1,300 km a month. If you run a lot of city kilometres on a fixed route, the CNG variant earns its keep; if the Ertiga is mostly a weekend and highway car, the payback period may outlast your ownership.
What the EMI Actually Looks Like
On the Mumbai on-road price of ₹10.34 Lakh for the base LXi, The Spec’d’s EMI figures work out to about ₹17,380 a month with 20% down and a 5-year loan at 9.5% interest. The recommended ZXi Petrol MT, on-road around ₹12.88 Lakh in Mumbai, pushes that closer to ₹21,600 a month on the same terms.
How the Ertiga Compares to Its Rivals
In Mumbai, the Citroen Aircross undercuts the Ertiga by a wafer-thin ₹1,000 at ₹10.33 Lakh on-road, while the Toyota Rumion, mechanically near-identical to the Ertiga, costs ₹1.02 Lakh more for Toyota badging and a longer warranty. The Kia Carens and Mahindra Bolero Neo Plus start ₹13 Lakh and ₹13.73 Lakh respectively. For the wider field, see every 7-seater under ₹15 Lakh.
The Ertiga’s case is simple: genuine 3-row practicality at a price that undercuts every rival except the Aircross, with a Smart Hybrid system that trims fuel use at no extra cost. The third row is still best reserved for children on longer trips, and the cabin does not feel as premium as the Rumion’s, but neither of those costs you anything extra.
What is the on-road price of the Maruti Ertiga?
It starts at ₹10.34 Lakh on the road in Mumbai for the base LXi Petrol MT, made up of ₹8.9 Lakh ex-showroom, ₹97,900 Maharashtra road tax and about ₹46,500 in insurance and FASTag charges. The exact figure varies by city, from ₹9.71 Lakh in Puducherry to ₹10.73 Lakh in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.
Which Ertiga variant should I buy?
The ZXi Petrol MT at ₹11.02 Lakh ex-showroom. It adds the touchscreen, alloy wheels, auto climate control and rear camera over the VXi for a manageable ₹1.06 Lakh step, without paying for the ZXi+’s highway-only comforts.
Is the Ertiga CNG worth buying over the petrol?
Only if you cover meaningful city distance. The CNG version costs ₹98,500 more at the VXi trim but saves about ₹1,820 per 1,000 km in running cost, so it takes roughly 54,000 km to break even, about three and a half years at 1,300 km a month.
