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A Guide to Buy the Best CSD Car In 2022

By Vikas Chandra Das
29 November 2022, 12:42 PM

A CSD or a canteen stores department has designated stores for people working in the country's defence sector. These stores offer all kinds of goods, including cars, to defence personnel at a subsidised rate.

These stores sell:

  • Liquor
  • Medicines
  • Groceries
  • Other common goods

Currently, there are 34 CSD depots in India, and they sell most of the goods that defence personnel might need. If you are eligible to purchase goods from these stores, you can visit the nearest store and make the purchases. These stores also sell four-wheelers at subsidised rates.

Once you buy the car from any CSDs, you can register them in your home location. However, do not forget to buy  car insurance policy after purchasing a model, as you will be insured against potential damages and so on. Read on to learn everything about buying a car from a CSD in India.

Understanding the Eligibility

Before buying a car from your nearest CSD, you must know if you are eligible to make a purchase. Individuals who are part of the country's Defense sector and receive their salaries directly from the Government of India are qualified to buy a car through CSD.

You must fulfil both criteria to become eligible for a CSD purchase.

Retired service members and commissioned officers can also purchase a CSD. The individual's rank does not play any role in deciding eligibility. As per the rule, a defence employee up to level 9 can buy a car during his job via CSD.

Also, they are eligible to buy another car via CSD post their retirement. However, there must be an 8-year gap between two consecutive purchases.

On the other hand, defence personnel above level 9 can buy a car every eight years, even when they retire from their services. There are limits to the engine capacity when purchasing a vehicle through CSD.

Employees up to level 9 cannot buy a car with a capacity greater than 1400 cc. The maximum engine capacity for employees above level 9 is set at 2500 cc. Therefore, defence personnel planning to buy a high-end model like a Ford Endeavour cannot purchase a car via CSD.

The list below will give you a fair idea of the limitations of engine capacity and the frequency of car purchases for different defence employees:

Category (Both in service and retired)Engine Capacity (CC)Periodicity
Officer3000One car in 4 years
Hony Commissioned JCOs2500One car in 7 years
JCOs20002 cars: 1st during the duration of the service and 2nd post-retirement; First car post ten years of service and a gap of 10 years between two consecutive purchases.
OR1800

Two cars: 1st during the duration of the service and 2nd post-retirement; First car after ten years and the gap between

Two cars ten years.

Defence Civilian Officers of MoD(Serving)3000One car in 4 years

Now that you know the eligibility and the limit on the frequency of these purchases, let's look at the prices of the popular cars offered by a CSD compared to the actual on-road prices:

1. Maruti Suzuki

Most of the cars by Maruti Suzuki can be bought via a CSD if you are eligible for the purchase. While comparing the on-road prices with those that a CSD offers, you will realize that the prices are much lower for the CSD.

For instance, if you buy Swift Dzire from a regular retailer, the price will be above INR 6 lakhs. However, the price goes down to INR 5 lakhs if you buy the exact vehicle through a CSD, courtesy of the discount you get.

Let's have a look at the prices of all the Maruti cars you can buy through a CSD:

 Model Name

CSD RTGS 

Amount

On-Road

Price

 
ALTO LXI310000366674 
ALTO LXI (M)310000366808 
ALTO VXI331657390380 
ALTO VXI (M)331657390511 
ALTO LXI (O) 0.8L 5MT318793376847 
ALTO LXI (O) CNG 0.8L 5MT415719477373 
ALTO STD (O) 0.8L 5MT258722313916 
ALTO STD 0.8L 5MT253523308477 
ALTO VXI+ 0.8L 5MT343549402943 
ALTO LXI Green412256478961 
Vitara Brezza LXI 1.5L 5MT670391795646 
Vitara Brezza VXI 1.5L 5MT759540895100 
Vitara Brezza ZXI 1.5L 5MT826539971718 
Vitara Brezza ZXI 1.5L AT9359171129606 
Vitara Brezza ZXI+ 1.5L 5MT8694031020603 
Vitara Brezza ZXI+ 1.5L 5MT(Dual Tone) 8779791029746 
Vitara Brezza ZXI+ 1.5L AT(Dual Tone) 9891111190229 
Vitara Brezza VXI 1.5L AT8689061018935 
Vitara Brezza ZXI+ 1.5L AT9787061177390 
EECO 5 STR with AC487727561061 
EECO 7 STR W/O AC (M)391077459541 
EECO 5 STRSTD 1.2L 5MT365778432933 
EECO 5 STR AC CNG 1.2L 5MT 486135561908 
ERTIGA LXI SHVS702334832043 
ERTIGA VXI SHVS774228911561 
ERTIGA VXI AGS8828461032565 
ERTIGA ZXI SHVS840260984154 
ERTIGA ZXI+ SHVS8843561034260 
ERTIGA VXI CNG 1.5 5MT 8579331003448 
ERTIGA ZXI SHVS AT 9500421140871 
SWIFT LXI498840580341 
SWIFT VXI568726677713 
SWIFT  ZXI624813741071 
SWIFT ZXI+692691818020 
SWIFT VXI AGS 613512728197 
SWIFT ZXI+ 1.2L AGS 737637866438 
SWIFT ZXI AGS669567791522 
WAGON R LXI 1.0 Ltr421967490318 
WAGON R LXI (O) 1.0 Ltr427380496578 
WAGON R VXI 1.0 Ltr450549522330 
WAGON R VXI (O) 1.0 Ltr456849529528 
WAGON R VXI AGS 1.0 Ltr495338571851 
WAGON R VXI (O) AGS 1.0 Ltr 501626579037 
WAGON R LXI CNG 1.0 Ltr506642582686 
WAGON R VXI 1.2 Ltr482042561175 
WAGON R VXI (O) 1.2 Ltr488316568336 
WAGON R VXI AGS 1.2 Ltr526826629068 
WAGON R VXI (O) AGS1.2 Ltr533134636472 
WAGON R ZXI 1.2 Ltr512495595039 
WAGON R ZXI AGS 1.2 Ltr557288663976 
WAGON R LXI (O) CNG 1Ltr 5MT516075591821 
64064 XDZIRE LXI521358603645
64062 TDZIRE VXI623103737800
64063 KDZIRE ZXI683673806172
64330 DDZIRE ZXI+751725883576
64329 ADZIRE VXI AGS667860790954
64300 PDZIRE ZXI AGS728457856471
64332 LDZIRE ZXI+ AGS796466934215
65260S-Presso VXI AGS407128479954
65261S-Presso VXI+ AGS421683496219
65262S-Presso VXI (o) AGS412542485880
65263S-Presso LXI339358406109
65264S-Presso LXI (o)344725411987
65265S-Presso VXI362469431329
65266S-Presso VXI+377012447585
65267S-Presso VXI (o) 367852437229
65268S-Presso Std301462363905
65269S-Presso Std (o)306845369792
64317S-Presso LXI (O) CNG 1L 5MT457042531471
64080S-Presso  LXI CNG 1L 5MT451422525430
64346S-Presso VXI (O) CNG 1L 5MT480491556985
64334S-Presso VXI CNG 1L 5MT474898550874

2. Hyundai

Hyundai is the second largest automotive player in India after Maruti Suzuki. Apart from the discount, the best thing about buying a Hyundai car via CSD is the easy instalments.

Some models come with great discounts in Hyundai. For example, the CSD price of the Hyundai i20 starts from INR 3.62 lakhs. However, the regular ex-showroom price of the model starts from INR 6.98 lakhs. Let's look at CSD and on-road prices of Hyundai cars.

Car ModelPrice (in INR)
Hyundai Verna SX AT Diesel 8.93 lakh 
Hyundai Verna SX Diesel 7.22 lakh 
Hyundai Verna S Plus Diesel 7.22 lakh 
Hyundai Verna SX Option CVT 9.37 lakh 
Hyundai Verna SX Option Turbo 9.46 lakh 
Hyundai Verna SX Option Petrol 8.58 lakh 
Hyundai Verna SX IVT 10.85 lakh 
Hyundai Verna SX Petrol 7.24 lakh 
Hyundai Creta SX Option IVT 11.04 lakh 
Hyundai Creta SX IVT 10.20 lakh 
Hyundai Creta S Diesel 8.73 lakh 
Hyundai Creta EX Diesel 7.85 lakh 
Hyundai Creta E Diesel 6.8 lakh 
Hyundai Creta SX Petrol 9.2 lakh 
Hyundai Creta S Petrol 8.01 lakh 
Hyundai Creta EX Petrol 7.19 lakh 
Hyundai Creta E Petrol 8.86 lakh 
Venue 1.0 SX+ DCT 10.16 lakh 
Venue 1.0 S DCT 8.50 lakh 
Venue 1.0 SX 7.45 lakh 
Venue 1.2 S Plus 7.39 lakh 
Venue 1.2 S Petrol 6.55 lakh 
Venue 1.2 E Petrol 5.96 lakh 
I20 Magna Diesel 3.62 lakh 
I20 Asta Option DCT 9.82 lakh 
I20 Asta IVT 8.46 lakh 
I20 Asta Option 4.19 lakh 
I20 Sportz Turbo IMT 7.70 lakh 
I20 Sportz IVT 7.52 lakh 
I20 Sportz 3.90 lakh 
I20 Magna 3.62 lakh 
Aura SX 6.37 lakh 
Aura S CNG 6.46 lakh 
Aura S AMT 6.16 lakh 
Aura S 5.73 lakh 
Grand i10 Nios Sportz AMT 6.22 lakh 
Grand i10 Nios Magna AMT 5.68 lakh 
Grand i10 Nios Asta 6.35 lakh 
Grand i10 Nios Sportz 5.70 lakh 
Grand i10 Nios Magna 5.20 lakh 
Grand i10 Nios Era 4.45 lakh 
Santro Asta 4.19 lakh 
Santro Sportz AMT 4.30 lakh 
Santro Sportz 3.90 lakh 
Santro Magna AMT 4.00 lakh 
Santro Magna 3.62 lakh 

Honda

Honda cars are considered pricier than their counterparts. However, the CSD price for some Honda models is relatively low. For instance, Honda Amaze is the best-selling model Honda.

The ex-showroom price of the model starts from Rs. 7.22 lakhs. However, the CSD price for the model starts from INR 5.99 lakhs.

Listed below are the CSD rates of the popular Honda cars:

Honda Car ModelsCSD Price (In INR)
Honda City 5th Gen ZX MT Diesel 13.60 lakh 
Honda City 5th Gen VX MT Diesel 12.65 lakh 
Honda City 5th Gen VMT Diesel 11.35 lakh 
Honda City 5th Gen ZX CVT Automatic 13.45 lakh 
Honda City 5th Gen VX CVT Automatic 12.45 lakh 
Honda City 5th Gen V CVT Automatic 11.20 lakh 
Honda City 5th Gen ZX MT Petrol 12.15 lakh 
Honda City 5th Gen VX MT Petrol 11.26 lakh 
Honda City 5th Generation VMT Petrol 10.00 lakh 
Honda City V Petrol 4th Generation 8.94 lakh 
Honda City SV Petrol 4th Generation 8.31 lakh 
Honda WRV VX Diesel 9.74 lakh 
Honda WRV SV Diesel 8.65 lakh 
Honda WRV VX Petrol 8.55 lakh 
Honda WRV SV Petrol 7.49 lakh 
Honda Jazz ZX CVT 8.60 lakh 
Honda Jazz VX CVT 7.97 lakh 
Honda Jazz V CVT 7.58 lakh 
Honda Jazz ZX MT Petrol 7.71 lakh 
Honda Jazz VX MT Petrol 6.88 lakh 
Honda Jazz V MT Petrol 6.50 lakh 
Honda Amaze V CVT IDtec Diesel 8.45 lakh 
Honda Amaze VX MT Diesel 8.14 lakh 
Honda Amaze V MT Diesel 7.70 lakh 
Honda Amaze S MT Diesel 7.16 lakh 
Honda Amaze V CVT Automatic 7.36 lakh 
Honda Amaze VX MT Petrol 6.95 lakh 
Honda Amaze VMT Petrol 6.51 lakh 
Honda Amaze SMT Petrol 5.99 lakh 

Toyota

Toyota is a Japanese carmaker, and its cars are widely popular among Indian audiences.

Innova is the best-selling model by Toyota as it is considered a family car. Models like Corolla Altis, etc., do not meet the criteria of CSD. Hence, they are not sold via CSDs. The list shows other popular cars by Toyota and their CSD rates.

Car ModelPrice (In INR)
Innova Crysta VX Diesel 19.6 lakh 
Innova Crysta GX Diesel 16.37 lakh 
Glanza V CVT 7.89 lakh 
Glanza G CVT 7.35 lakh 
Glanza V Manual 6.70 lakh 

Ford

Though the CSD price and the on-road price for Ford cars are not that different, you can save a few additional thousands by taking the CSD routes. The CSD rates of popular Ford cars include:

Ford Car ModelsCSD Price (In INR)
FORD FIGO ASPIRE 1.2 P TREND MT570468
FORD ECOSPORT 1.5 P TREND737233
FORD FIGO ASPIRE 1.5 D TITANIUM MT761332
FORD FIGO ASPIRE 1.5 D TREND MT673861
FORD FIGO ASPIRE 1.2 P TITANIUM + MT713624
FORD ECOSPORT 1.5 D TREND797574
FORD ECOSPORT 1.5 D TITANIUM913823
FORD FIGO ASPIRE 1.2 P TITANIUM MT659253
FORD ECO SPORT 1.5 P TITANIUM AT METALLIC956813
FORD ECO SPORT 1.5 P TITANIUM MT METALLIC851220
FORD ECO SPORT 1.0 P TITANIUM (O) METALLIC940218
FORD ECO SPORT 1.5 D TITANIUM (O) METALLIC968126

Mahindra

People prefer buying Mahindra cars via CSD as they get huge discounts. The CSD prices of some popular Mahindra variants are:

Mahindra Car ModelsCSD Price
Mahindra THAR LX P AT 4WD 4S HT1351251
Mahindra THAR LX P MT 4WD 4S HT1214607
Mahindra THAR LX D AT 4WD 4S HT1369542
Mahindra THAR LX D MT 4WD 4S CT1233057
Mahindra THAR LX D AT 4WD 4S CT1360465
Mahindra THAR AX OPT P MT 4WD 4S CT1159816
Mahindra THAR AX OPT D MT 4WD 4S HT 1187148
Mahindra THAR AX OPT D MT 4WD 4S CT1178076
Mahindra Marazzo M2 7 STR1063453 
Mahindra Marazzo M4+ 7 STR1159819
Mahindra Marazzo M6+ 7 STR 1241846
Mahindra SCORPIO S51139711
Mahindra SCORPIO S71347681
Mahindra SCORPIO S91366893
Mahindra SCORPIO S11 1492929
Mahindra XUV300 W8 (P) S11 886099
Mahindra XUV300 W8 Opt (P) S11 993384
Mahindra XUV300 W8 PM Opt DT (P) S11 999759
Mahindra XUV300 W8 DS Sunroof DSL S11 1012710
Mahindra XUV300 W8 DS Opt DSL S11 1064255
Mahindra XUV300 W8 (O) DS AS WP S11 1146979
Mahindra XUV300 W8 (D) OPT S11 1074936
Mahindra XUV300 W8 DS OPT DT 1080614

In Review 

Now that you know the CSD prices of all the popular cars from different automobile manufacturers, you can compare your options and make the purchase. However, you must ensure that you are eligible for the purchases as these offers are not available to the general public.

FAQs

1. Can a regular person buy a car from a canteen stores department?

Only a person currently employed in the defence sector or a retired defence sector employee can buy a car through CSD.

2. Are there any engine capacity limitations for defence employees buying a car via CSD?

An employee up to level 9 can buy a car with an engine capacity of 1800 cc. However, the limit goes up to 2400cc for employees above level 10.

3. Can I buy a high-end car via CSD?

No, cars with an engine capacity of more than 2400 cc cannot be bought via a CSD. Therefore, you cannot buy a high-end vehicle via CSD.

4. How many CSDs are in India?

Currently, there are 34 CSDs in India.

5. Do I need to register the car in the state where the CSD is located?

It is not a mandatory requirement. You can get the car registered in your resident city too. 

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