Tata Safari Storme to Mahindra Scorpio: Indian police forces & their cars

For a long time after India’s independence, the police forces around the country had old school jeeps as their official rides. However, that is not the case anymore as police forces across the nation now have new and modern vehicles in their fleet. They are fitted with special kit and equipment too apart from having a special police livery on them. Let’s now 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 the police of several states as a riot-control vehicle. To let you know, it is India’s first indigenous light bulletproof vehicle that can withstand heavy firing and can protect against hand grenades too. It is powered by a 2.5-litre CRDE engine that generates around 105 Bhp of power and 228 Nm of torque. It can carry a maximum weight of 3,200 kg and can seat up to 6 people. The Marksman can go up to 120 km/h and is also used by the defence and paramilitary forces of Chile. Mahindra gave armour platings to the bottom of the vehicle to so that it can’t be harmed by landmines and hand grenades slipped under it.

Polaris ATV

Used by: Kerala Police, Gujarat Police

Kerala Police also uses a rather unusual vehicle from American ATV manufacturer Polaris. The Kerala police own four Crew 800s which were inducted in the force to combat the Naxal threat. However, they are currently being used as beach patrolling vehicles because they were later found to be unstable and loud to fight the Naxalites. The six-seater Polaris Crew can be seen on many beaches in the state of Kerala. It is a CBU and costs around Rs. 18 lakhs.