What the ICOTY 2026 winner Maruti Victoris costs in India

The Maruti Suzuki Victoris, named Indian Car of the Year 2026, costs between ₹10.50 lakh and ₹20.22 lakh ex-showroom across its petrol, strong hybrid, CNG and AWD variants. A booking needs a refundable deposit of ₹11,000, paid at a Maruti Arena dealership or through the Maruti Suzuki website. The company has reported more than 25,000 bookings since the car's launch on 15 September 2025, with waiting periods of around 10 weeks.

Here is what the award means for a buyer, and how to actually go about booking one.

What the Victoris costs, variant by variant

The base LXi petrol manual starts the range at ₹10.50 lakh ex-showroom. The VXi petrol manual is ₹11.85 lakh and the ZXi petrol manual is ₹13.62 lakh. Step up to the ZXi Plus and the price is ₹15.39 lakh. The AWD option, offered on the ZXi Plus automatic, takes the price to ₹18.69 lakh. At the top sits the ZXi Plus (O) Strong Hybrid in the Aurum Edition, at ₹20.22 lakh ex-showroom, the most expensive Victoris you can order.

These are ex-showroom figures from ZigWheels. On-road price adds RTO registration, insurance and road tax, and the add-on varies by state, so budget a meaningful amount over the ex-showroom number before you sign.

How ICOTY picked it as the winner

Indian Car of the Year is decided by the Automotive Journalists of India, a jury of 22 writers and editors from publications including Car India, autoX, Auto Today, evo India, Overdrive and CarWale. For the 2026 edition, the Victoris competed against seven finalists, among them the Hyundai Creta Electric, Kia Syros and Tata Harrier EV. JK Tyre presented the award on 18 December 2025.

The Victoris won with 144 jury points. The Skoda Kylaq finished second with 90 points, and the Mahindra XEV 9e came third with 71 points.

ICOTY describes its process as an independent, expert led evaluation that weighs innovation, performance and consumer value. The win does not change the car's price or specification, but it is the sort of credential a buyer can expect a dealer to mention at the showroom, and it is a reasonable starting point if you are shortlisting SUVs in this bracket.

Booking and waiting period, step by step

Walk into any Maruti Arena dealership, or go to the Victoris page on marutisuzuki.com, and the process runs like this.

First, pick your powertrain. The Victoris is sold with a 1.5 litre petrol in manual or automatic form, a strong hybrid version, a factory fitted S CNG option, and the AWD variant on select automatic trims. Second, choose your variant from LXi up to ZXi Plus (O), and your exterior shade. Third, pay the ₹11,000 booking amount, which Maruti Suzuki has kept deliberately low to make reserving a slot easy. Fourth, the dealer confirms your allotment number and an expected delivery window.

As of recent reporting, Maruti Suzuki has quoted an average waiting period of about 10 weeks, though dealers have told reporters that lead times for some variants, particularly the hybrid and AWD trims, can run closer to two to three months. If you need the car by a specific date, ask your dealer for a variant wise delivery estimate before you book, not after.

Finally, once your turn comes, you pay the balance amount, complete registration and insurance, and take delivery at the dealership. Nothing in the ICOTY win changes any of these steps. It simply tells you that a jury of 22 Indian motoring journalists rated the Victoris highest among this year's crop of new cars.

Sources

• Maruti Suzuki Victoris price and variants, ZigWheels
• Indian Car Of The Year ICOTY 2026, Maruti Suzuki Victoris takes top honours, Car India
• Maruti Victoris garners over 25,000 bookings, Autocar India
• Maruti Victoris bookings open at ₹11,000, deliveries from Diwali 2025, CarOnPhone