How common is four-wheel drive?
Very rare. Of the 1,108 variants we track, 35 drive all four wheels, and they are spread across 12 of 98 cars. That makes four-wheel drive rarer than a sunroof (541 variants), a 360-degree camera (341 variants) or ventilated front seats (294 variants).
The cheapest way into one is the Maruti Jimny Zeta Pro at ₹12,59,000 ex-showroom, and every Jimny is a 4x4 — no two-wheel-drive version is sold.
Not every 4x4 is an off-roader. 6 of the 12 cars have a low-range gearbox (4L), by their makers' own brochures: Maruti Jimny, Mahindra Thar OG, Mahindra Scorpio N, Mahindra Thar Roxx, Toyota Fortuner and MG Majestor. The cheapest of them is the Maruti Jimny Zeta Pro at ₹12,59,000. The rest send drive to all four wheels on demand, or through a second electric motor, with no low gear.
Every 4x4 we track, cheapest 4x4 variant first
| Car and kind of 4WD | Cheapest 4x4 variant | Ex-showroom | 4x4 variants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maruti Jimny4x4 onlyLow-range 4WD · brake limited-slip differential | Zeta ProPetrol manual | ₹12,59,000 | 4 of 4 |
| Mahindra Thar OGLow-range 4WD · electronic locking rear differential | LXTPetrol manual | ₹15,59,500 | 8 of 15 |
| Mahindra Scorpio NLow-range 4WD · brake-locking differential (Z8 T and Z8L only) | Z4Diesel manual | ₹18,02,499 | 5 of 27 |
| Maruti Grand VitaraAWD, no low range | Alpha ALLGRIPPetrol automatic | ₹18,04,700 | 2 of 18 |
| Maruti VictorisAWD, no low range | ZXi+Petrol automatic | ₹18,68,900 | 2 of 21 |
| Mahindra Thar RoxxLow-range 4WD · electronic locking rear differential (diesel 4x4) | MX5Diesel manual | ₹19,56,000 | 4 of 21 |
| Tata Sierra EVTwo electric motors | Empowered A QWDElectric automatic | ₹25,99,000 | 1 of 8 |
| Tata Harrier EVTwo electric motors | Fearless+ QWDElectric automatic | ₹26,79,000 | 2 of 7 |
| Jeep CompassAWD, no low range | Model S (O2)Diesel automatic | ₹30,70,000 | 1 of 9 |
| Jeep MeridianAWD, no low range | Limited (O)Diesel automatic | ₹36,05,000 | 2 of 9 |
| Toyota FortunerLow-range 4WD · electronic differential lock | 4x4Diesel manual | ₹39,74,000 | 3 of 7 |
| MG MajestorLow-range 4WD · front, centre and rear differential locks | Savvy 4x4Diesel automatic | ₹45,99,000 | 1 of 2 |
Ex-showroom, Delhi. “4x4” here means any variant the manufacturer sells with drive to all four wheels — a part-time 4WD system with a transfer case, or an all-wheel-drive system such as Maruti's AllGrip — and, on an electric car, a second motor driving the other axle. “Low-range 4WD” means the maker lists a low-range transfer gear (4L), which is what serious off-road driving needs; “AWD, no low range” sends drive to all four wheels when the car decides it needs to, with no low gear. Both are read from each maker's own brochure, and so is any locking differential named under them — a brake-based system uses the brakes to stop a spinning wheel rather than locking the axle. Appearance editions are left out, as they are everywhere on this site.
What does four-wheel drive cost?
Wherever a manufacturer sells the same trim, on the same fuel, the same gearbox and the same engine, in both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, the difference between the two prices is what the drivetrain costs with nothing else moving. There are 22 such pairs across 9 cars. The typical premium is ₹1,92,358, and it runs from ₹1,35,000 on the Maruti Grand Vitara Alpha to ₹3,99,000 on the Toyota Fortuner 4x4.
| Car and variant | 2WD | 4WD | 4WD costs | What else changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maruti Grand VitaraAlpha · Petrol automatic | ₹16,69,700 | ₹18,04,700 | +₹1,35,000 | Adds Multiple Drive Modes; Adds Hill Descent Control |
| Maruti VictorisZXi+ · Petrol automatic | ₹17,33,900 | ₹18,68,900 | +₹1,35,000 | Adds Multiple Drive Modes; Adds Hill Descent Control |
| Mahindra Thar OGZXT · Diesel automatic | ₹17,49,000 | ₹18,99,000 | +₹1,50,000 | Multi Drive & Traction Modes in place of Multiple Drive Modes |
| Mahindra Thar OGLXT · Diesel automatic | ₹16,49,000 | ₹17,99,500 | +₹1,50,500 | Multi Drive & Traction Modes in place of Multiple Drive Modes |
| Mahindra Thar OGZXT · Petrol automatic | ₹16,09,000 | ₹17,75,000 | +₹1,66,000 | Multi Drive & Traction Modes in place of Multiple Drive Modes |
| Maruti VictorisZXi+(O) · Petrol automatic | ₹17,43,000 | ₹19,26,900 | +₹1,83,900 | Adds Multiple Drive Modes; Adds Hill Descent Control |
| Jeep MeridianLimited (O) · Diesel automatic | ₹34,19,000 | ₹36,05,000 | +₹1,86,000 | Nothing we track |
| Jeep MeridianOverland · Diesel automatic | ₹36,05,000 | ₹37,92,000 | +₹1,87,000 | Adds Multiple Drive Modes; Adds Hill Descent Control |
| Maruti Grand VitaraAlpha(O) · Petrol automatic | ₹16,73,700 | ₹18,62,600 | +₹1,88,900 | Adds Multiple Drive Modes; Adds Hill Descent Control |
| Mahindra Scorpio NZ8L · Diesel automatic | ₹23,58,999 | ₹25,49,000 | +₹1,90,001 | Nothing we track |
| Mahindra Scorpio NZ4 · Diesel manual | ₹16,11,784 | ₹18,02,499 | +₹1,90,715 | Nothing we track |
| Jeep CompassModel S (O2) · Diesel automatic | ₹28,76,000 | ₹30,70,000 | +₹1,94,000 | Adds Multiple Drive Modes; Adds Hill Descent Control |
| Mahindra Scorpio NZ8 T · Diesel automatic | ₹22,35,146 | ₹24,39,249 | +₹2,04,103 | Nothing we track |
| Mahindra Scorpio NZ8 T · Diesel manual | ₹20,65,000 | ₹22,86,249 | +₹2,21,249 | Nothing we track |
| Mahindra Thar RoxxAX5L · Diesel automatic | ₹19,41,000 | ₹21,67,000 | +₹2,26,000 | Nothing we track |
| Mahindra Scorpio NZ8L · Diesel manual | ₹21,99,000 | ₹24,25,145 | +₹2,26,145 | Nothing we track |
| Mahindra Thar OGLXT · Petrol automatic | ₹14,76,500 | ₹17,22,500 | +₹2,46,000 | Multi Drive & Traction Modes in place of Multiple Drive Modes |
| Mahindra Thar RoxxMX5 · Diesel manual | ₹17,07,000 | ₹19,56,000 | +₹2,49,000 | Adds All 4 Disc Brakes |
| MG MajestorSavvy · Diesel automatic | ₹43,49,000 | ₹45,99,000 | +₹2,50,000 | Multi Drive & Traction Modes in place of Multiple Drive Modes |
| Mahindra Thar RoxxAX7L · Diesel manual | ₹19,57,000 | ₹22,12,000 | +₹2,55,000 | Nothing we track |
| Mahindra Thar RoxxAX7L · Diesel automatic | ₹20,83,000 | ₹23,52,500 | +₹2,69,500 | Nothing we track |
| Toyota Fortuner4x4 · Diesel manual | ₹35,75,000 | ₹39,74,000 | +₹3,99,000 | Adds Premium Branded Sound System; 18-Inch Alloy Wheels in place of 17-Inch Alloy Wheels; Adds Hill Descent Control |
Ex-showroom, Delhi. “Typical” is the median of the 22 cases (halfway between the two middle ones), not an average of advertised figures. The engine is matched on its name, power and torque, not just its size, so no premium here hides a different tune.
Car by car, the cheapest way to add four-wheel drive is ₹1,35,000 on the Maruti Grand Vitara Alpha, ₹1,35,000 on the Maruti Victoris ZXi+, ₹1,50,000 on the Mahindra Thar OG ZXT, ₹1,86,000 on the Jeep Meridian Limited (O), ₹1,90,001 on the Mahindra Scorpio N Z8L, ₹1,94,000 on the Jeep Compass Model S (O2), ₹2,26,000 on the Mahindra Thar Roxx AX5L, ₹2,50,000 on the MG Majestor Savvy and ₹3,99,000 on the Toyota Fortuner 4x4.
Almost none of that money is equipment
In 9 of the 22 pairs the 4x4 adds no equipment we track at all. In 5 more, the only change is that the drive modes become Multi Drive & Traction Modes — terrain settings that are part of the four-wheel-drive system itself. Valued on our base figures — one scale for every car — the largest equipment change in any pair is ₹42,000, on the Toyota Fortuner 4x4 — still smaller than the smallest 4WD premium, ₹1,35,000. So the premium is the drivetrain itself — the hardware that sends power to both axles, which our feature list does not price because it is not equipment.
Counting every pair, the 4x4 adds Hill Descent Control (7 of 22), Multiple Drive Modes (6 of 22), Multi Drive & Traction Modes (5 of 22), All 4 Disc Brakes (1 of 22), Premium Branded Sound System (1 of 22) and 18-Inch Alloy Wheels (1 of 22).
That is why this site does not give a 2WD-to-4WD move a value verdict, and the engine refuses to score every one of these pairs. Everywhere else we price the equipment difference between two variants and say what share of the price rise it explains. A drivetrain is not equipment, so running a 4x4 through that test would score it as buying almost nothing — which says only that the test was pointed at the wrong question. The same reasoning keeps a gearbox out of it; what an automatic costs is measured the same way as this page, and the methodology explains where verdicts apply.
The cheapest 4x4 on each fuel and gearbox
| Fuel and gearbox | Cheapest 4x4 | Ex-showroom |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol manual | Maruti JimnyZeta Pro | ₹12,59,000 |
| Petrol automatic | Maruti JimnyZeta Pro | ₹13,65,000 |
| Diesel manual | Mahindra Thar OGLXT | ₹16,42,500 |
| Diesel automatic | Mahindra Thar OGLXT | ₹17,99,500 |
Ex-showroom, Delhi. “Automatic” covers every kind of automatic gearbox.
The 4x4s with nothing to price against
13 of the 35 4x4 variants have no two-wheel-drive twin on the same trim, fuel, gearbox and engine, so they cannot tell you what 4WD costs and are not in the table above.
- Maruti Jimny: every one of its 4 variants is a 4x4. No two-wheel-drive version is sold, so there is nothing to compare it with — the 4x4 is the car.
- Mahindra Thar OG: LXT Petrol manual, ZXT Petrol manual, LXT Diesel manual and ZXT Diesel manual have no two-wheel-drive version in our data with the same trim, fuel, gearbox and engine.
- Toyota Fortuner: neoDrive 4x4 Diesel automatic and Legender 4x4 Diesel manual have no two-wheel-drive version in our data with the same trim, fuel, gearbox and engine.
- Tata Harrier EV: Fearless+ QWD Electric automatic and Empowered QWD Electric automatic have no two-wheel-drive version in our data with the same trim, fuel, gearbox and engine.
- Tata Sierra EV: Empowered A QWD Electric automatic has no two-wheel-drive version in our data with the same trim, fuel, gearbox and engine.
Every variant of each, worked out
Each car's own page lists every variant with its price, and scores each upgrade within the 4x4 range on equipment the way this page cannot score the drivetrain. Where a car is sold with more than one engine and gearbox, its powertrains page sets them side by side.
- Maruti Jimny — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Mahindra Thar OG — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Mahindra Scorpio N — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Maruti Grand Vitara — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Maruti Victoris — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Mahindra Thar Roxx — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Tata Sierra EV — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Tata Harrier EV — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Jeep Compass — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Jeep Meridian — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- Toyota Fortuner — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox
- MG Majestor — every variant explained · which engine and gearbox