ARAI mileage is the fuel-efficiency figure certified by the Automotive Research Association of India, measured in a laboratory on a standardised driving cycle. It is the official number carmakers quote in brochures and advertisements, expressed in km/l (or km per kWh for EVs). Because the test is gentler than real traffic, actual mileage is usually 10–20% lower.
How it is measured
The car runs on a chassis dynamometer following the Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) — a scripted sequence of accelerations, cruises and idling at moderate speeds, with no air-conditioning load, no passengers beyond the test setup, no hills and no traffic. Every manufacturer's cars face the identical script, which is precisely what makes the number useful: it is the only fuel-efficiency figure in India measured the same way for every car on sale.
Why it matters when buying
Treat ARAI mileage as a comparison tool, not a fuel-budget promise. If car A is rated 20 km/l and car B 17 km/l, A will almost certainly be the more efficient car in your hands too — but expect your own city figure to land meaningfully below the sticker, with heavy urban traffic often 20–30% under the lab number. Hybrids tend to get closer to their ARAI figures in city driving, while small-capacity turbo-petrols tend to fall furthest. The spec tables across this site quote manufacturer-published ARAI figures, as noted in our methodology.
A concrete example
A hatchback rated 22 km/l ARAI typically returns around 17–18 km/l in mixed city-highway use. Budgeting fuel costs at 18 km/l instead of 22 changes your monthly estimate by several hundred rupees — plan with the real-world number.