Mahindra Scorpio to Toyota Innova: Cars used by Indian police forces
India’s police forces used to be known for riding around in old school jeeps. However, today’s police forces across the nation are switching to new fleets of vehicles that are as modern as every other vehicle on our roads today. In this post, we take a look at various vehicles used by police forces across India.
Toyota Innova
Used by: Delhi Police, UP Police, Andhra Pradesh Police, Tamil Nadu Police
The Toyota Innova is one of the most widely used cars by police forces across India. The Innova’s reliability combined with the amount of comfort and ability to carry 7 passengers with ease have made it one of the most common cars used by the cops in India, who can be seen inside the MPV for most of their daily patrol schedule.
Maruti Gypsy
Used by: Delhi Police, Haryana Police
The Maruti Gypsy is being replaced in quite a few police forces across the nation but it is still a very popular cop car in India. Its go-anywhere attitude combined with its reliability made it extremely popular among our nation’s cops. The Gypsy is still a common sight among the fleets of the Delhi and Haryana police.
Maruti Ertiga
Used by: Chandigarh Police, Haryana Police, Mumbai Police, Bangalore Police
The Maruti Ertiga is the second-best MPV in terms of sales in India after the Toyota Innova. Even though it is smaller than the Toyota MP, the Ertiga offers good interior space and can carry up to 7 officers. Its compact size gives it an advantage over the Innova when it comes to negotiating crazy city traffic.
Mahindra Reva
Used by: Chandigarh Police
The Chandigarh Police make use of one of the most oddball police cars seen anywhere in the world, the Mahindra Reva. The Reva was the first electric vehicle to be sold commercially in India and its compact size make it perfect to patrol the busy city streets of Chandigarh. Also, the Reva is the only zero-emissions police car in this list.
Mahindra Scorpio
Used by: Telangana Police, Andhra Pradesh Police, Punjab Police
The Mahindra Scorpio features a rugged body with a reliable diesel engine and armoured versions of the SUV are the vehicles of choice to protect many of the nation’s lawmakers. The Scorpio is used by multiple police forces across India. While the Andhra Police makes use of the previous-gen Scorpio, the Telangana police force has the current version of the SUV in its ranks. The Punjab Police, on the other hand, make use of the pickup truck version – the Scorpio Getaway.
Tata Safari Storme
Used by: Madhya Pradesh Police
The Safari Storme was recently inducted into the Indian army and is the vehicle of choice for the Madhya Pradesh Police as well. The Safari offers a powerful diesel engine, loads of space on the inside and a very comfortable ride. If you see one of these bearing down on you with the lights and sirens on, you better pull over as the alternative won’t end well for you in most cases.
Tata Indigo
Used by: Kolkata Police, Agra Police
The Tata Indigo was the first ever sedan sold by Tata Motors. The car offered a whole load of space on the inside and a comfortable ride. Tata even launched a sub-4-metre version of the sedan in the later parts of its production run called the Indigo eCS. The Indigo sedan is used by the Kolkata and Agra police forces for their daily patrols.
Mahindra Bolero
Used By: Maharashtra Police, Andhra Pradesh Police, Kerala Police, Karnataka Police
The Bolero is perhaps the best-known UV in the country and Mahindra has been selling loads of for quite a while now. The Bolero’s rugged body, reliable diesel engine and ease of maintenance and repair have made it extremely popular especially in Tier II and III cities across the country. The Bolero is used by multiple police forces across the country and its longevity and ease of maintenance have made it a favourite among our Khakhi wearing police officer.
Ford EcoSport
Used by: Andhra Pradesh Police
The Ford EcoSport is a compact SUV that is fun to drive and quite powerful for an SUV. The EcoSport and can handle long highways with sweeping bends, and congested city roads with equal amounts of ease which has made it one of the vehicles of choice for the Andhra Pradesh police.
Mahindra TUV300
Used by: Maharashtra Police
The Mahindra TUV300 is known for its tank-inspired looks and toughness and is a recent addition to the Maharashtra Police who use it for patrolling duties. The sub-4-meter SUV is quite powerful and is compact enough to travel through cramped city streets as well.
Mahindra Marksman
Used by: West Bengal Police, Karnataka Police, Mumbai Police
The Mahindra Marksman is used by multiple police forces in India as a riot-control vehicle. The Marksman is India’s first light bullet-proof vehicle. The Marksman can withstand heavy gunfire and hand grenades and its underside can even withstand landmine blasts. The Marksman is powered by a 2.5-litre CRDe engine that generates around 105 Bhp and 228 Nm.
Polaris ATV
Used by: Kerala Police, Gujarat Police
Polaris is an American manufacturer that specialises in making all-terrain vehicles. The Kerala Police acquired four Polaris Crew 800s which they added to their patrol vehicle fleet to combat Naxals. However, they Crew 800s now act as beach patrol vehicles as they proved to be too loud and unstable to help deal with the Naxals. Currently, the six-seater Polaris Crew can be seen on many beaches in the state of Kerala. The Crew 800 is imported as a CBU and costs around Rs. 18 lakhs.