Manual or Automatic: Which Transmission Drives Used Cars In Kolkata?

The demand for automatic transmission equipped cars is rising in India, it accounted for 14.7% of used car sales in 2024. That said, manual transmission equipped cars continue to dominate the Indian automotive landscape. 

West Bengal accounts for one of the lowest numbers of used car sales in India, at just 3.1% of sales. Its capital, Kolkata is a major contributor to this market. Kolkata is also the most congested city in India, which significantly influences its car buying decision. Other important car buying factors include fuel preferences, transmission preferences and bodystyle preferences. 

Manual and automatic transmissions are an important consideration when buying a used car in Kolkata. Here we are going to discuss transmission trends in Kolkata and the factors that influence it. 

Used Car Transmission Trends in Kolkata: Manual Is King

With the information collected from CARS24 sales data and CARS24 Gears of Growth report, we have a detailed outlook of the transmission trends in Hyderabad. Here are our findings:

Key Takeaways From The Data

• Manual cars dominate the used car market in Kolkata, a trend that’s growing. 
• Also, hatchbacks account for a majority of the used car market in Kolkata. 
• From these two observations, we can deduce that used car buyers in Kolkata prioritise low purchase costs and practicality. 
• Automatic cars have a very small presence in Kolkata’s used car ecosystem. 
• Despite used automatic cars gaining popularity across India, the demand for automatic cars in Kolkata is dropping. 

Fuel Types and Transmission Types: The Correlation

There is a deep correlation between fuel types and transmissions. You can buy both petrol and diesel cars with automatic and manual transmissions and vice versa. However CNG cars are an exception to the norm. 

CNG cars are only available with manual gearboxes. A few carmakers though are offering CNG cars with automatic gearboxes, proving to be an exception to the norm. That said, hardly anyone can find used CNG cars available to be consider here. 

Petrol:

Petrol powered manual cars dominate Kolkata’s second hand car ecosystem. Automatic used cars sold in Kolkata constituted just 7.25% of the total used petrol cars sold in 2023, which dropped down to 6.82% in 2024. The low buying price of manuals is one of the reasons for this trend. 

Diesel: 

Interestingly, used diesel cars sold in Kolkata have a higher percentage ratio of automatic cars than that seen in used petrol cars. Automatic cars make up 10.07% of used diesel cars sold in Kolkata in 2023 and 2024. The ratio of used automatic diesel cars is higher as these mainly constitute sedans and SUVs, a segment that prioritises convenience. 

Body Types and Transmission Types: The Correlation

Kolkata suffers from major traffic snarls and this is one of the reasons a majority of used car buyers prefer hatchbacks. The SUV bodytype has the lowest ratio but their numbers are rising. 

Hatchbacks: 

Hatchbacks are popular because they have low buying and running costs. Hatchbacks have a low footprint too which makes it easy to drive and park in the congested streets of Kolkata. Manual hatchbacks constitute 94.86% of overall used car hatchbacks sold in Hyderabad in 2023-24. 

Buyers prefer manuals for the same reason they prefer hatchback bodytypes: their low running costs and low pricing. 

Sedans:

Compared to hatchbacks and SUVs, used sedans in Kolkata have a higher adoption of automatic transmissions. This is due to a few sedan buyers prioritising other buying factors such as comfort and convenience. That said, manual sedans still account for more than 90% of used car sales, a number that’s growing. 

SUVs:

A majority of used SUV buyers in Kolkata prefer manual transmissions. Interestingly, while the number of manual SUVs in other cities is dropping, in Kolkata the number is rising albeit gradually. 

Reasons Behind Used Manual Transmission Vehicles Being More Popular in Kolkata?

Used manual transmission equipped cars are popular in Kolkata for a number of reasons. Here are some important ones:

• Buyers prefer manual transmission equipped cars owing to their low purchase price and running costs. 
• Manual cars are more reliable than automatic transmission equipped cars and are more affordable to maintain as well. 
• Generally, manual cars offer better fuel efficiency than comparable automatic cars. 
• Manual transmission equipped cars are available with a wider range of fuels like petrol, diesel and CNG. 
• Manual transmission equipped cars are easily available irrespective of fuel types and body styles. 
• Thanks to its advantages, manual transmission equipped cars have a slower rate of depreciation and higher resale value. 

Should You Buy an Automatic Car in Kolkata?

Buying an automatic car in a traffic infested city like Kolkata makes a lot of sense. The main benefit of automatic cars is its ease of driving in heavy traffic. Automatic cars do not need a clutch pedal so clutch modulation is not needed to prevent stalling in traffic. It also makes driving an automatic car a more comfortable experience. 

The disadvantages of automatic cars are their high buying cost, high maintenance costs and high running costs due to higher fuel efficiency than manuals. However modern automatic gearboxes like AMTs offer similar, and in some cases, better fuel efficiency than manual cars. If you primarily drive in the city, a used automatic car makes a lot of sense. 

Most Popular Used Cars in Kolkata, Transmission Wise:

Kolkata has a very high demand for manual cars, most of which are hatchbacks. The Maruti Suzuki Alto is the most popular used manual car on sale in the city while the Honda City is the most popular automatic. 

Manual Cars:

Given Kolkata’s reputation as the most congested city in India, it is not surprising that used car buyers here prefer hatchbacks. Four out of the top best selling used manual cars in Kolkata are practical hatchbacks while the best selling car is an entry level hatchback. This indicated Kolkata car buyers have a penchant for affordability and practicality. 

Automatic Cars:

Like manual cars, the best selling used automatic cars in Kolkata are practical hatchbacks. That said the Honda City claims the top spot, indicating that when it comes to automatics, convenience and comfort rank high as buying factors. 

The top five list of used manual and automatic cars indicate that Kolkata used car buyers are practical minded and consider practicality and affordability over other buying factors.

Conclusion:

The used car transmission trend is an interesting one. While other cities show an increase in automatic car sales, Kolkata instead showcases an increased preference for manual transmissions. This trend remains consistent across body types and fuel types, with the exception of hatchbacks where demand for manual hatchbacks is gradually declining. 

Manuals remain practical for fundamental reasons like affordability in terms of buying, running and maintenance costs. They are generally more reliable, fuel efficient and easily available making them an obvious choice of transmission.