Buying a Car Online? CarDekho Drove India into the Digital Auto Market
Introduction
The automobile market in India is arguably one of the largest markets in the world yet it is a fact that for decades, the process of buying or selling a car was highly fragmented and mistrusted. Introduce a relatively new company, carDekho, a company that was started in 2008 and has revolutionized the process of buying and selling cars by providing transparency, convenience, and trust on a digital-first platform. Since the discovery of prices up to the loans, insurance, and the marketplace of used cars, CarDekho has become a full-stack auto-tech ecosystem and became the number one automotive platform in India.
Founding Story
CarDekho is a motor vehicle dealership company based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, started in 2008 by two brothers, Amit Jain and Anurag Jain.
- Amit Jain (an IIT Delhi graduate) was an employee at Trilogy in Austin, USA and he returned to India.
- Anurag Jain (IIT Delhi + IIM Ahmedabad) also had a stint in working with some of the best companies prior to joining his brother.
The concept was developed following an Auto Expo that they had attended in Delhi in 2008. They understood that India did not have a trusted online site that they could rely on to compare cars, prices, review, and get fair information on before they could make their purchase decisions.
It began as an easy to use car comparison site and became a multi-billion-dollar automobile-technology company that shook up the conventional process of automobile purchasing.
Business Model of CarDekho
CarDekho is based on a multi-layered business model, which integrates digital services and financial and offline.
- Advertising Lead Generation: This approach will draw in more clients and investors to the company via various marketing methods like direct mail, social media, and online marketing.
- Car manufacturers and dealers are paying CarDekho to display their cars .The platform produces leads to dealerships, in the style of an online marketing channel.
- Used Car Marketplace
- CarDekho assists users to purchase/sell used cars with the help of the measuring tools of valuation, inspection and networks of dealers.
- Dealer subscriptions and transaction fees are all sources of revenue.
- Provisions of Financial Services (Loans and Insurance)
- Provides motor insurance, refinancing and car loans.
- Earns commission/ premium margin.
- New Car Discovery
- Comparison of cars, review by experts, on-road, and integrated dealer contact.
- Enhances the user participation and trust, resulting in monetization prospects.
- International Expansion
- Launched to Southeast Asia through Oto.com (Indonesia) and the Philippines-based ventures, also acting off the same script.
CarDekho Ecosystem
CarDekho has transformed into a 360 -degree auto-tech planetary:
| Product/Service | Function |
| CarDekho.com | New & used car research, comparison, reviews |
| Gaadi.com | Used car marketplace (acquired in 2014) |
| BikeDekho | Motorcycle comparison & discovery platform |
| TruckDekho | Commercial vehicles marketplace |
| InsuranceDekho | Motor insurance platform |
| Oto.com | Indonesian auto marketplace |
| Gaadi by CarDekho | Offline retail experience for used cars |
Financial Performance
The company has achieved strong financial results by producing profits and securing capital to support its expansion and growth objectives. The firm has been successful in delivering financial performance that has seen it generate returns in terms of profits and the ability to raise capital to facilitate its expansion and growth goals.
CarDekho has collected more than 800 million dollars in several rounds.
| Year | Funding Round | Amount Raised | Key Investors |
| 2013 | Series A | $15M | Sequoia Capital |
| 2015 | Series B | $50M | Hillhouse, Tybourne Capital |
| 2018 | Series C | $110M | Sequoia, Hillhouse, Axis Bank |
| 2021 | Series E | $250M | LeapFrog, Sequoia, Hillhouse |
| 2022 | Pre-IPO Round | $200M+ | Temasek, Mirae Asset, etc. |
Growth Journey & Milestones
- 2008 – Launched CarDekho from Jaipur with limited resources.
- 2013 – Raised Series A, expanded nationally.
- 2014 – Acquired Gaadi.com, strengthening used-car business.
- 2016-18 – Launched InsuranceDekho, BikeDekho, and TruckDekho.
- 2018 – Expanded to Southeast Asia with Oto.com.
- 2021 – Became a unicorn after Series E funding.
- 2022-23 – InsuranceDekho spun off, raised $150M on its own.
- 2025 – Positioned as India’s #1 Auto-Tech player, competing with Spinny, Cars24, OLX Autos.
Competitors
CarDekho is in a highly competitive market:
Cars24: AI-based pricing targeted at instant car sales.
Spinny – Full-stack quality buy/sell used cars.
OLX Autos –Used car venture, which is classified.
OEM-supported platforms- Maruti True Value, Mahindra First Choice.
CarDekho is differentiated as a company that provides a full ecosystem and not a single vertical.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
- Solve a Real Problem – CarDekho was an answer to mistrust, unchecked information and inconvenience in the Indian car market.
- Use Content to Get Trusts- Reviews, comparisons, and expert opinions developed credibility then monetized.
- Diversify Revenue Sources- Advertising, loans, insurance, and used cars puts in place a stable ecosystem.
- The book Go Global, But with Local Playbook explains why expansion in Southeast Asia works and how it can be replicated in other similar markets.
- Adapt to Consumer Trends –UNSP, but changed their focus to become a full-stack service, following Cars24/Spinny.
Conclusion
CarDekho is a typical example of an Indian startup success story, as it began in Jaipur with a mission of making it easy to buy a car, and became a billion-dollar auto-technology giant. CarDekho has been able to change the traditional face of the automobile industry in India by establishing a one-stop automotive ecosystem, and it is now growing internationally.
The case of the company provides a strong lesson that even the most conservative industries can be changed when you use the power of technology, trust, and user-centric services.
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