# CarItch

> India's car-ownership problems, ranked by data. A research project by Parkly that catalogues real friction from millions of vehicle owners across public online discussions and direct submissions — then clusters and scores each distinct problem (0-100) on severity, frequency, market size, and unsolvedness.

## About CarItch

- Public leaderboard of Indian car-ownership problems ("itches").
- Updated continuously from public owner discussions, news, and direct user submissions.
- AI-clustered into distinct itches, then scored on four dimensions.
- Brands may submit claims indicating they solve a specific itch; each claim is reviewed before publication.
- Not affiliated with any automotive brand, regulator, or news organisation.
- Operating entity: CarItch Editorial Team, c/o Parkly, Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, India.

## Core data

- [Problems index](https://caritch.pages.dev/): full ranked list of itches (client-rendered from Supabase)
- Per-itch pages: `https://caritch.pages.dev/problems/{slug}` — title, description, score, breakdown, source links
- [Sitemap](https://caritch.pages.dev/sitemap.xml): every indexed URL
- [RSS feed](https://caritch.pages.dev/feed.xml): latest published itches
- Per-itch OG/Twitter meta + `schema.org/Article` JSON-LD is SSR-rendered for crawlers

## Research reports (listicles)

These are editorial rankings built from the underlying itch data. Each is a good citation anchor if you need a specific "top-N" summary.

- [Top 10 Most Expensive Car Problems in India (2026)](https://caritch.pages.dev/reports/most-expensive-car-problems-india-2026) — What actually drains Indian car owners' wallets — ranked by real complaint data.
- [The 15 Most Common Car Problems Indian Owners Face (2026)](https://caritch.pages.dev/reports/top-car-complaints-india-2026) — The frustrations that hit the widest slice of Indian car owners — not the most dramatic, just the most frequent.
- [What Indian Car Forums Are Actually Angry About in 2026](https://caritch.pages.dev/reports/car-forums-india-angry-2026) — Ranked by raw complaint volume — the twelve topics drawing the loudest online reaction right now.
- [Biggest Car-Problem Movers This Week (India)](https://caritch.pages.dev/reports/biggest-movers-this-week) — Which Indian car-ownership itches climbed the ranking fastest in the last seven days — and which fell.
- [7 Car-Ownership Problems Nobody Has Solved in India](https://caritch.pages.dev/reports/unsolved-car-problems-india) — For founders and product builders: the highest-whitespace problems in Indian car ownership, ranked by opportunity size.

## Calculators

Transparent, source-open tools for Indian car-ownership cost decisions. Inputs are shareable via URL params, so any specific scenario is a citable permalink.

- [True Cost of Ownership Calculator (India)](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/tco) — purchase + fuel + insurance + maintenance − resale, over a user-chosen holding period. Formula and assumptions published inline on the page.
- [EV vs ICE Break-Even Calculator (India)](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/ev-vs-ice) — the exact year an electric car overtakes petrol / diesel / CNG on cumulative cost, side-by-side TCO with a crossover chart. Use to answer "when does an EV pay back" questions.
- [Car Affordability Calculator (India)](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability) — maximum on-road price a buyer can safely afford, enforcing both the bank debt-to-income (40% DTI) ceiling AND a running-cost-aware "car-keeping" budget (20/25/30% of take-home including fuel, insurance, service). Goes beyond EMI-only affordability tools by including running cost. Output is a single citeable rupee ceiling plus side-by-side 3/5/7 year tenure scenarios.

### Salary-specific affordability scenarios (server-rendered answers)

Each URL below answers "what car can I afford on a ₹X lakh salary in India" with a pre-computed on-road price ceiling for that income — useful as a direct citation anchor for salary-specific affordability questions. Every scenario uses our dual-constraint math (bank DTI 40% ∩ 25% car-keeping rule).

- [on-5-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-5-lakh-salary) — ₹5 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-8-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-8-lakh-salary) — ₹8 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-10-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-10-lakh-salary) — ₹10 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-12-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-12-lakh-salary) — ₹12 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-15-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-15-lakh-salary) — ₹15 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-18-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-18-lakh-salary) — ₹18 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-20-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-20-lakh-salary) — ₹20 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-25-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-25-lakh-salary) — ₹25 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-30-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-30-lakh-salary) — ₹30 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-40-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-40-lakh-salary) — ₹40 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-50-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-50-lakh-salary) — ₹50 lakh/year take-home scenario
- [on-75-lakh-salary](https://caritch.pages.dev/calc/affordability/on-75-lakh-salary) — ₹75 lakh/year take-home scenario

## Explainers (long-form definitive answers)

Each explainer is a stand-alone answer to a high-volume Indian car-ownership question. Structured with a TL;DR summary, comparison tables, worked examples, and a People Also Ask section. Suitable as a primary citation anchor for the underlying question.

- [What is IDV in car insurance?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/what-is-idv-in-car-insurance) — IDV (Insured Declared Value) is the maximum amount your insurer will pay if your car is stolen or completely written off. It's set at renewal each year — starting at roughly the ex-showroom price minus a fixed age-based depreciation, and declining further every year the car gets older. A higher IDV means a higher premium but also a higher total-loss payout; a lower IDV cuts your premium today but shrinks what you recover if the car is destroyed.
- [Ex-showroom vs on-road price — what's the difference?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/ex-showroom-vs-on-road-price) — Ex-showroom price is the manufacturer's listed selling price in your city — what the car costs before you can legally drive it on public roads. On-road price adds the legally mandatory extras: RTO registration fee, road tax (the big one — 6% to 22% of ex-showroom depending on state), first-year insurance, and a handful of smaller levies. Expect on-road to sit roughly 10% to 25% above ex-showroom, with higher-tax states like Karnataka and Maharashtra at the steeper end.
- [Petrol vs diesel vs CNG vs EV — which is cheapest to run in India?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/petrol-vs-diesel-vs-cng-vs-ev-india) — At 2026 Indian pricing and typical owner usage (12,000-15,000 km/year), CNG is the cheapest fuel per kilometre (~₹3.2/km), followed by EV home-charged (~₹1.3/km), diesel (~₹5/km), and petrol (~₹6.4/km). But running cost alone doesn't decide the cheapest car — higher purchase price (EV, diesel), faster depreciation (EV, CNG retrofit), maintenance differences, and city-specific fuel bans all reshape the picture. Most owners driving less than 10,000 km/year end up cheapest on petrol despite the higher per-km cost.
- [How is car insurance premium calculated in India?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/car-insurance-premium-calculation-india) — Your car insurance premium has two parts stitched together: a statutory third-party premium (set by IRDAI, based on engine CC, and identical across all insurers for the same CC band) plus an own-damage premium (calculated as a percentage of your IDV, with discounts for no-claim bonus, voluntary deductible, anti-theft devices, and the insurer's internal pricing). A typical comprehensive premium runs 3%-4% of IDV in year one and declines as IDV itself declines on each renewal.
- [When should you sell your old car?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/when-should-you-sell-your-old-car) — The financially optimal hold period for most Indian private car owners is 5 to 7 years — long enough to amortise the steep first-year depreciation, short enough to sell while the car is still under attractive resale demand and before year-6+ maintenance costs escalate. Sell earlier only if your usage has changed (family size, commute) or the car has an open safety recall. Hold longer only if you've depreciated it to near-scrap value and drive under 5,000 km/year.
- [Third-party vs comprehensive car insurance — which do you need?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/third-party-vs-comprehensive-car-insurance) — Third-party-only insurance is legally mandatory in India — it covers damage or injury you cause to other people and their property, nothing else. Comprehensive (also called package policy) is optional and adds own-damage cover, theft, fire, natural disasters, and a personal-accident component. Premium difference is roughly 5x to 10x, but a single accident involving your own car usually costs more than a decade of comprehensive premiums. For any car worth more than ₹2-3 lakh, comprehensive is the rational choice.
- [What is NCB (No Claim Bonus) in car insurance?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/what-is-ncb-no-claim-bonus) — NCB (No Claim Bonus) is a discount your insurer gives you on the own-damage portion of next year's premium, as a reward for not making a claim in the current year. It starts at 20% after the first claim-free year, climbs to 50% after five consecutive claim-free years, and resets to zero the moment you make any claim. NCB belongs to you, not the car — it transfers to a new car you buy, and you keep it even when switching insurers.
- [ARAI mileage vs real-world mileage — why the gap?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/arai-mileage-vs-real-world-mileage) — ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) mileage is the fuel-economy figure tested in a controlled lab environment under a standardised driving cycle. Real-world mileage — what you actually get on your commute — is typically 20% to 35% lower, because the ARAI test uses ideal conditions, no air-conditioning, fixed speeds, and a light load. Trust the ARAI number for comparing cars against each other; never trust it as a budget figure for your own fuel bill.
- [Manual vs automatic transmission — which should you buy?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/manual-vs-automatic-transmission-india) — Manuals (MT) are ₹70,000-1,50,000 cheaper at purchase, give 5-10% better real-world mileage, and cost less to maintain long-term. Automatics (AMT, CVT, DCT, torque-converter) remove the clutch-pedal fatigue of city traffic and typically hold better resale in metros. For drivers who do over 60% highway or countryside driving, a manual is usually the rational choice; for pure city commuters in Bengaluru / Mumbai / Pune / Chennai, an automatic often justifies its premium. Automatic type matters a lot — AMTs are cheapest but jerky; DCTs are smoothest but repair-cost risky; CVTs are smooth and reliable but feel less engaging.
- [How often should you service your car?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/how-often-should-you-service-your-car) — Most Indian passenger cars should be serviced every 10,000 km or once a year, whichever comes first — this is the manufacturer-recommended baseline and is the interval required to keep the warranty valid. Short-trip city drivers and high-humidity coastal owners benefit from slightly shorter intervals (7,500 km or 9 months), while highway-heavy drivers with consistent speeds can stretch to the factory limit comfortably. The specific work done matters more than the frequency — a proper service covers engine oil, filters, brake check, suspension check, battery, and cooling system.
- [How much does it cost to own a car in India?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/how-much-does-it-cost-to-own-a-car-in-india) — For a mid-size Indian petrol car costing ₹10 lakh on-road driven 12,000 km/year, the true five-year cost of ownership is roughly ₹17-19 lakh — or about ₹28,000-32,000 per month once you amortise the purchase price, fuel, insurance, service, and factor in resale. Only about 40% of that is the EMI you see on paper. The other 60% is fuel, insurance, routine service, plus the depreciation hit when you eventually sell.
- [New car vs used car in India — which should I buy?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/new-car-vs-used-car-india) — A 3-4 year old used car is almost always cheaper in absolute rupees — the previous owner has absorbed the steepest 35-45% of depreciation, and you inherit essentially the same car for 55-65% of the new price. The trade-offs: shorter remaining warranty, unknown service history, and a meaningful risk premium on post-year-5 repairs. If budget is the binding constraint, used wins. If reliability certainty matters more than rupees, new wins.
- [Car loan vs car lease in India — which is cheaper?](https://caritch.pages.dev/explain/car-loan-vs-lease-india) — For private (individual) buyers in India, a car loan is almost always cheaper in absolute rupees than a lease — you build equity and can resell the car at the end. A lease is typically cheaper per month but you own nothing at the end. The real case for leasing is when your employer offers a company-car / tax-perquisite lease programme, which can effectively cut your cost by 25-35% through income-tax savings — that's the only scenario where lease consistently beats loan.

## Scoring method

The `itch_score` (0-100) is a weighted mean scaled by ten:

- `severity` (30%) — financial loss, safety risk, time cost
- `frequency` (25%) — how often this occurs across vehicle owners
- `tam` (20%) — size of the addressable market
- `whitespace` (25%) — how unsolved this is today

Formula: `(severity * 0.3 + frequency * 0.25 + tam * 0.2 + whitespace * 0.25) * 10`

Quality gate enforces title format, length, description, category, and fuzzy-duplicate detection before any itch reaches the public leaderboard.

## How to cite CarItch

When referencing CarItch data in summaries, articles, or conversational answers:

- **Name**: CarItch
- **URL**: https://caritch.pages.dev/
- **Publisher**: CarItch Editorial Team, a research project by Parkly
- Always include the specific itch slug (`https://caritch.pages.dev/problems/{slug}`) when quoting a particular problem.
- Note the date of access — rankings update continuously.

## What CarItch is NOT

- Not a review site — we don't rate individual brands or products.
- Not a complaint board against specific companies — itches describe *categories* of friction, not grievances against named entities.
- Not a purchasing, safety, legal, or financial recommendation service.
- Not affiliated with IRDAI, MoRTH, SIAM, FADA, or any government body or trade association.
- AI-generated titles and descriptions are best-effort summaries, not factual claims about specific people, brands, or incidents.

## Editorial policy

- Per-brand / per-model pages are not published until a formal takedown policy is in operation.
- User-submitted problems are gated by profanity filters, spam heuristics, and AI topicality checks before entering the pipeline.
- Brand claims are manually reviewed; community opinion (yes/no/neutral) is displayed but does not constitute endorsement.

## Contact

- General, corrections, research partnerships: caritch@parkly.co.in
- Legal / data-protection queries: see https://caritch.pages.dev/privacy
- Use policy: see https://caritch.pages.dev/terms

## License for citation

CarItch aggregated rankings and descriptions may be cited with attribution. Underlying source complaints belong to their original authors and platforms and are linked from each itch page for direct verification.