According to reports published by thehindubusinessline.com, the Indian automotive industry witnesses its highest ever monthly sales in October 2020. The festival season boosted the slumping sales post lockdown. Maruti Suzuki sold over 135,770 units in November of 2020, up 2.4% as compared to November of 2019. Hyundai Motors sold over 48,700 units in November of 2020, seeing an increase of 9.4% growth as compared to the same time the previous year. Tata Motors emerged as the third-largest selling car company which sold around 21,600 units in November of 2020, witnessing an astonishing growth of 108.1% since the same time previous year.
All these figures show just how incredible vast the Indian automotive market is. Numerous domestic and international brands are vying for a piece of the lucrative market. However, as a customer, you need to have certain in-depth knowledge of how the car industry works so that you do not end up buying a low-quality or unreliable model. It is a smart decision to compare vehicle online before buying it.
Car experts advise consumers to short-list several models so that they can make an informed decision. There are several essential factors that you need to check while comparing two different car models.
Factors to Consider when Comparing Two Vehicles
Let’s take a closer look at the top factors to check when you do a vehicle compare to buy a new car in India:
1 – Horsepower
Horsepower is a term which was adopted during the early days of cars. The capacity of a car to carry weight / load is measured in horsepower. Ideally, one horsepower is equal to the amount of work a horse can perform. So, the higher the horsepower the easier it is for the car to merge into highway traffic, to reach cruising speeds and manoeuvre on busy city streets. However, it should be noted that horsepower and fuel economy are inversely proportional. For instance, the higher the horsepower of a car, the more fuel it will consume, despite advanced fuel-saving technologies being integrated into cars today.
2 – Mileage
Mileage is yet another important factor to consider, especially when the prices of fuel are skyrocketing almost every day. If you need the car for a lengthy daily commute or you plan on taking many road trips, then mileage is an important factor for you to consider when you use vehicle comparison tool.
Although high-end luxury cars tend to have higher horsepower and hence lower fuel economy, you should not make the mistake of buying a cheap car thinking that it will save on fuel.
3 – Safety
Safety on road is extremely essential because, unfortunately, road accidents are becoming increasingly common with growing number of vehicles on the streets. Hence, safety features in a car are extremely essential to check when you compare vehicle online.
Besides the now-mandatory air-bag, there are other additional safety features that car companies are integrating into their latest models. Some of the advanced safety features to look out for when you perform a vehicle price compare are related to driver-assistance technology. Some of these safety features include adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, blind spot monitors and lane-keeping assistance.
4 – Depreciation
As opposed to property which increases in value with time cars tend to lose value as the years go by. Hence, the cost of depreciation is another important factor to check when you perform a vehicle compare. It’s highly probable that you might want to upgrade to a better car model in a few years so the resale value of your existing car is extremely important to know.
Each car model has a different rate of depreciation, the order in which its value continues to decrease with use and passage of time. Hence, make sure to check the specific depreciation cost for the specific model you plan on buying.
5 – Maintenance
The cost of maintaining a car is much higher than most first time car buyers expect. Obviously, high-end luxury cars will have higher cost of maintenance as repairs and replacement components are expensive for such cars.
On the other hand, an extremely cheap car may end up developing more trouble than the service it provides. Thus, ensure that the cost of maintenance of the car in question is affordable in the long run.
Conclusion
Car experts highly recommend checking the horsepower, mileage, safety features, cost of depreciation and maintenance for the car when you compare vehicle online. This is an excellent way to ensure that you buy the best-suited car and enjoy driving it without any hassles.