The Maruti Suzuki Victoris won
the Indian Car of the Year ICOTY
2026 award beating strong
contenders including the Skoda
Kylaq and Mahindra XEV 9e.
Launched in September 2025 and
already crossing 50,000 unit
sales the Victoris is the most
significant Maruti launch in
recent years. Here is our
complete review.
Why Victoris Is A Big Deal For Maruti
The Victoris represents Maruti’s
most ambitious product in years.
It is the first Maruti car with
Level 2 ADAS the first with
underbody CNG tank giving full
boot space the first with Dolby
Atmos audio and Alexa Auto
voice assistant. Everything
about the Victoris signals a
new more premium chapter for
India’s largest car brand.
It also won 5 stars in both
Global NCAP and Bharat NCAP —
making it the safest Maruti
ever built.
Design
The Victoris has a bold confident
design with a strong front
fascia LED headlights panoramic
sunroof and muscular proportions.
At 4360mm in length it is
positioned between the Brezza
and Grand Vitara in Maruti’s
lineup — filling an important
gap in the compact midsize SUV
segment. Ground clearance of
210mm is excellent for Indian
road conditions.
Available in 7 colour options
including Eternal Blue Mystic
Green and Magma Grey the
Victoris looks distinctly more
premium than any previous
Arena model.
Engine Options — Most Comprehensive in Segment
The Victoris offers the most
comprehensive powertrain choice
of any Maruti in history. The
1.5 litre mild hybrid petrol
produces 103bhp with 5 speed
manual or 6 speed automatic
delivering 21.18 kmpl claimed
efficiency.
The strong hybrid variant
produces 113bhp combined from
the petrol engine and electric
motor delivering an extraordinary
28.65 kmpl — the best fuel
efficiency of any petrol SUV
in India in its size class.
The CNG variant uses an underbody
tank — the first Maruti to do
this — preserving the full 439
litre boot space. Real world
CNG owners are reporting 25 to
30 km per kg making it
extraordinarily economical
to run.
The AllGrip Select AWD option
on higher petrol automatic
variants makes the Victoris
the only Maruti with all
wheel drive — a genuine
first for the brand.
India First Features
The Victoris packs several
segment or India first features
that justify the ICOTY 2026
award. The Infinity Harman
8 speaker sound system with
Dolby Atmos 5.1 spatial sound
is the best audio system in
any car under ₹15 lakh in India.
Alexa Auto voice assistant with
35 plus apps and voice commands
makes it the most connected
Maruti ever.
The powered tailgate with
gesture control 64 colour
ambient lighting 360 degree
HD camera Level 2 ADAS with
10 plus driver assist features
and 10.54 inch touchscreen
with 10.25 inch digital cluster
complete a genuinely premium
feature package.
Safety — Safest Maruti Ever
5 stars in both Global NCAP
and Bharat NCAP make the
Victoris the safest car Maruti
has ever made. 6 airbags
electronic stability control
hill hold TPMS and the
comprehensive Level 2 ADAS
suite make it genuinely safe
on Indian roads.
Maruti’s Service Advantage
The Victoris benefits from
Maruti’s unmatched 4000 plus
service centre network across
India. For buyers in smaller
cities and towns this service
accessibility is a genuine
advantage over rivals like
the Kia Seltos and Hyundai
Creta where service centres
may be less accessible.
Annual maintenance costs for
the Victoris are among the
lowest in its segment —
approximately ₹7,214 for 5
years — significantly less
than Korean and European
rivals.
Price and Variants
The Victoris starts at ₹10.50
lakh for the base LXI petrol
manual going up to ₹19.99
lakh for the fully loaded
ZXI Plus O strong hybrid CVT.
The sweet spot is the ZXI
automatic at approximately
₹15 to ₹16 lakh offering
the best balance of features
and value.
Victoris vs Rivals
Against the Hyundai Creta the
Victoris wins on Dolby Atmos
audio underbody CNG option
and Maruti’s service network
while the Creta wins on hybrid
efficiency and resale value.
Against the Kia Seltos the
Victoris wins on service
network and value while
the Seltos wins on features
and brand premium. Against
the Skoda Kushaq the Victoris
wins on powertrain variety
and service network while
the Kushaq wins on driving
dynamics and build quality.
Verdict
The Maruti Suzuki Victoris
winning ICOTY 2026 is thoroughly
deserved. It is Maruti’s most
ambitious and feature loaded
product ever combining Level 2
ADAS Dolby Atmos audio AWD
option hybrid efficiency and
CNG practicality in one SUV.
For buyers who want Maruti’s
legendary reliability and
service network in a genuinely
premium mid size SUV the
Victoris is the obvious choice
in 2026.
