Difference Between On-Road vs. Ex-Showroom Prices

On-road and ex-showroom costs are part of the entire cost of owning a vehicle. However, customers should be aware of some salient differences between on-road and ex-showroom costs. Incomplete information could lead to the customer spending more than what is required, and that is not an ideal situation.
Ex-showroom cost
Ex-showroom cost is the cost of the vehicle excluding three factors – registration fee, road tax, and insurance premium. In addition, this cost includes goods and services tax, ex-factory cost, and the dealer's profit margin.

Photo Credit: pixabay.com
On-road cost
Simply put, this is the cost paid between the interval of bringing the car from the showroom to one's home. It includes – registration charges, road tax, insurance, accessories, and any additional costs applied to the car.

Photo Credit: pixabay.com
Differences
By undertaking a basic comparison, one cannot fail to realize that the on-road cost is much more than the ex-showroom cost on any occasion. This is pretty obvious since the parameters of ex-showroom cost are fixed and can be anticipated because that is the price listed by dealers. On the other hand, on-road costs include a lot of factors that may vary across states. In other words, the on-road cost is the final purchase price of the car.

Photo Credit: pixabay.com
Additional factors in On-road cost
- Registration Charge: The Regional Transport Office needs to be notified, and the registration charge needs to be paid. Without paying this charge, the car cannot leave the showroom.
- Road Tax: The tax that the customer pays for using the roads comes under on-road costs.
- TCS: Tax collected at the source is a charge that the dealership takes from the customer. This does not come under ex-showroom cost.
- Green Cess: This majorly depends on government norms and the current policy that the government is using.
- Extended Warranty: The car manufacturers provide a certain amount of time as the warranty for the car. Customers have an option to extend this warranty period if they think it's useful.
- Annual Maintenance Package: This depends on how the customer plans to go ahead with servicing the car. If the user chooses to go to a third-party dealership, this package makes no sense. But, if the customer plans to stick with the dealership, then this package could be a money saver.
- Handling Charges: The dealership can also charge the customer for the money it took to bring the car from the factory to the dealership.
- Accessories: Accessories include stuff like floor mats, extra cushions, etc., anything to the customer's liking to enhance the driving experience.
- Insurance: This is mandatory and a safety net for the customer in case anything bad happens to the car.
Owning a car can be a costly affair. The maintenance itself can cost a lot if the servicing isn't regular and the parts malfunction.
Trending News
1 min readTop 5 Sports Bikes Under Rs. 2 Lakh
Latest News
car&bike Team | Nov 17, 2025KTM 390 Adventure, Adventure X Prices Hiked By Up To Rs 27,000The hike in prices is likely due to the brand no longer absorbing the increased cost of the models post-GST 2.0.1 min read
car&bike Team | Nov 17, 2025Top 5 Sports Bikes Under Rs. 2 LakhLooking for a sport bike under Rs. 2 lakh? Here’s our pick of the top 5 which will give you an entertaining ride.1 min read
Janak Sorap | Nov 17, 2025Hero Xtreme 160R 4V Combat Edition Unveiled; Gets Ride Modes, Cruise Control and More!While Hero has disclosed the new variant on its social media platform and website, the prices haven’t been announced yet.1 min read
car&bike Team | Nov 17, 2025CNG Supply In Mumbai Disrupted Due To Damaged GAIL PipelineCNG/PNG supplier Mahanagar Gas said that CNG supplies across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai & Thane could be affected till supply to its City Gate Station in Wadala is restored.1 min read
car&bike Team | Nov 17, 2025Maruti Suzuki Recalls Over 30,000 Units Of Grand Vitara Over Faulty Fuel GaugeUnits affected were manufactured between December 9, 2024 and April 29, 2025.2 mins read
Preetam Bora | Nov 16, 2025Opinion: What’s The Big Deal About The Yamaha XSR155?The Yamaha XSR155 is finally here. Better late than never – but does it have what it takes to be the next big Yamaha success story? Will it follow the Yamaha R15’s winning streak, or carve out the kind of legacy the RX100 once owned?1 min read






















































































































