CNG Price Hike in Lucknow, Agra and 3 UP Cities November 2026: ₹1/kg Increase and Running Cost Impact

Green Gas Limited (GGL) has raised CNG retail prices across five cities in Uttar Pradesh by Re 1 to ₹2.25 per kg, effective 6am on Sunday, 2 November 2026 — the latest in a series of hikes that have added roughly ₹8–10/kg to UP pump prices since May 2026. The revision directly squeezes the running-cost advantage of the large fleet of factory-fitted CNG cars — Maruti Suzuki's S-CNG line-up chief among them — that dominate private vehicle registrations across Lucknow, Agra and surrounding districts.

City-wise revised CNG prices at a glance

The table below shows the pre- and post-hike retail prices for each city, alongside the running cost per km for the three most popular factory-fitted CNG cars sold in UP, calculated at the new pump prices. CNG mileage figures are manufacturer ARAI claims; real-world returns are typically 10–15% lower.

City	Old price (₹/kg)	New price (₹/kg)	Hike	Cost/km — Maruti Swift S-CNG (32.85 km/kg ARAI)	Cost/km — Maruti Dzire S-CNG (33.73 km/kg ARAI)	Cost/km — Maruti Baleno S-CNG (30.08 km/kg ARAI)
Lucknow	107	108	Re 1/kg	₹3.29	₹3.20	₹3.59
Agra	107	108	Re 1/kg	₹3.29	₹3.20	₹3.59
Ayodhya	105	106	Re 1/kg	₹3.23	₹3.14	₹3.52
Sultanpur	105	106	Re 1/kg	₹3.23	₹3.14	₹3.52
Unnao	103.75	106	₹2.25/kg	₹3.23	₹3.14	₹3.52

ARAI km/kg claims sourced from Maruti Suzuki's official model pages. Cost per km = new CNG price ÷ ARAI km/kg. Petrol equivalent in Lucknow at ~₹96/litre: Swift petrol (22.38 km/l ARAI) = ₹4.29/km — meaning even at ₹108/kg, CNG remains roughly 23% cheaper per km on ARAI numbers.

Why did GGL raise prices now?

Green Gas Limited is the city gas distribution (CGD) entity licensed by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) to supply CNG and piped natural gas across Lucknow, Agra, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Unnao and several other UP districts. Unlike IGL in Delhi or MGL in Mumbai, GGL sources a significant share of its gas from regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) on the spot market rather than from cheaper domestic APM allocations, making its retail prices more sensitive to global LNG price swings.

GGL cited two drivers for the November revision: seasonal demand spikes during winter — when industrial and household PNG consumption rises sharply — and ongoing uncertainties in global gas supply chains. Both factors push up spot RLNG procurement costs, which GGL passes through to retail prices.

This pattern has repeated throughout 2026. In early October, GGL raised prices by ₹2–₹3.25/kg across the same cities, citing higher input gas costs, rising spot LNG prices and currency exchange fluctuations. Four hikes in eleven days swept through Delhi and North India in May 2026, adding ₹6/kg cumulatively. Between May and August alone, GGL added ₹8.25/kg to UP CNG prices.

Lucknow CNG was ₹102/kg in early May 2026, ₹105/kg after the August hike, ₹107/kg after the October hike, and now ₹108/kg. That is a ₹6/kg cumulative increase in six months — a 5.9% rise that erodes a meaningful slice of the fuel-cost savings that drove buyers toward CNG in the first place.

How much does the hike actually cost a typical UP CNG car owner?

A private car owner driving 1,500 km a month in Lucknow — a reasonable urban commute — would consume roughly 45.6 kg of CNG per month in a Maruti Dzire S-CNG (at its ARAI claim of 33.73 km/kg). At the old price of ₹107/kg, the monthly fuel bill was ₹4,879. At ₹108/kg, it rises to ₹4,925, an increase of ₹46/month or ₹552/year.

For a single hike, that seems modest. Stacked against the May–November 2026 cumulative increase of ₹6/kg, however, the same Dzire owner is now paying ₹274 more per month than in April 2026, or ₹3,285 more per year. Commercial operators — auto-rickshaw drivers or taxi aggregators running 5,000–6,000 km a month — face a monthly impact from cumulative hikes that crosses ₹900–₹1,100.

In Unnao, where the November hike was steeper at ₹2.25/kg (from ₹103.75 to ₹106/kg), a Dzire owner doing 1,500 km/month now pays an additional ₹100/month compared to October — and ₹228 more than in April 2026.

What does this mean for Maruti S-CNG owners in UP?

Maruti Suzuki's S-CNG models are factory-fitted, bi-fuel CNG systems installed on the production line at Maruti's Gurugram and Manesar plants, covered under the standard manufacturer warranty. They differ from dealer-fitted aftermarket conversions, which typically void the engine warranty and may not be covered under roadside assistance programmes.

The three S-CNG models most relevant to UP buyers are:

Maruti Swift S-CNG: ARAI-claimed mileage of 32.85 km/kg on CNG and 24.80 km/l on petrol. The CNG variant is priced from approximately ₹8.19 lakh (ex-showroom). Boot space drops to around 141 litres from the petrol variant's 268 litres because the CNG cylinder sits in the boot. The Swift's single-cylinder layout means no twin-cylinder advantage — you lose meaningful luggage room.

Maruti Dzire S-CNG: ARAI-claimed 33.73 km/kg on CNG, making it the most fuel-efficient car in this segment by ARAI numbers. CNG variant pricing starts around ₹9.14 lakh (ex-showroom). The boot penalty is similar to the Swift's — the cylinder occupies a significant portion of the 382-litre petrol-spec boot. Power on CNG drops relative to petrol mode, a real-world trade-off on UP expressways.

Maruti Baleno S-CNG: ARAI-claimed 30.08 km/kg on CNG. Priced from approximately ₹9.49 lakh (ex-showroom) in CNG trim. The Baleno's larger body means the boot loss is more noticeable in absolute terms. At ₹108/kg in Lucknow, the Baleno S-CNG's cost per km works out to ₹3.59 — slightly higher than the Dzire's ₹3.20 purely because of its lower km/kg claim.

All three share a genuine weakness: CNG power output is lower than petrol mode (typically 8–10% less peak power on CNG), and the single-cylinder boot placement forces a choice between luggage space and fuel economy on every trip. If you regularly carry four adults and luggage — common on UP highway runs to Ayodhya or Agra — the compromised boot is a real inconvenience, not just a spec-sheet footnote.

For UP buyers comparing options, our guide to the best CNG hatchbacks under ₹15 lakh covers the Baleno and Swift S-CNG alongside rivals in detail, and our best CNG cars in India 2026 roundup includes the Dzire.

Does CNG still make financial sense in Lucknow at ₹108/kg?

Yes — but the margin has narrowed. Petrol in Lucknow is approximately ₹96/litre as of November 2026. A Maruti Dzire petrol (ARAI: 24.12 km/l) costs roughly ₹3.98/km on petrol. The same car's CNG variant at ₹108/kg and 33.73 km/kg ARAI costs ₹3.20/km — a saving of ₹0.78/km, or about 20%.

On real-world numbers (assume 15% below ARAI for both fuels), the CNG cost rises to approximately ₹3.76/km and petrol to ₹4.68/km — a saving of ₹0.92/km. At 1,500 km/month, that is ₹1,380/month saved on fuel alone, or ₹16,560/year. The CNG variant of the Dzire carries a price premium of roughly ₹70,000–₹80,000 over the equivalent petrol variant, so break-even on the premium is approximately 4–5 years at this usage level — longer than many buyers expect.

The break-even calculation shifts with CNG prices. If GGL continues hiking at the pace seen in 2026 — roughly ₹1.5–₹2/kg every few months — and petrol prices remain flat, the savings window compresses further. A buyer doing less than 1,000 km/month in Lucknow should run the numbers carefully before paying the CNG premium.

Who else is affected beyond private car owners?

GGL's announcement confirmed that the revised prices apply to CNG-powered private vehicles, taxis, auto-rickshaws and commercial transport operators across all five cities. Auto-rickshaw drivers in Lucknow, who typically run 80–100 km per day, will see their daily fuel cost rise by approximately ₹3–₹4 at the new ₹108/kg rate — small per day, but ₹90–₹120/month on already thin margins.

Taxi aggregator fleets running CNG sedans — predominantly Dzire and Tigor CNG variants — face a similar squeeze. Commercial operators cannot easily absorb these costs without passing them on through higher fares, which in turn affects the competitiveness of CNG taxis versus petrol-hybrid alternatives entering the market.

What is the broader pattern of CNG price hikes in UP?

The November 2026 hike reflects structural factors rather than isolated events. CNG pricing in India operates under a market-linked mechanism overseen by PNGRB, where CGD entities like GGL are permitted to revise retail prices based on their input gas costs — a combination of domestically allocated APM gas (price-controlled) and market-priced RLNG. As domestic APM allocations have tightened and global LNG prices have remained elevated through the West Asia conflict and winter demand cycles, CGD entities across North India have passed costs through at an accelerating pace.

PNGRB's published price data shows significant variation across UP and neighbouring states: Bagpat (GGL-adjacent area) was at ₹91.50/kg as of August 2026 under a different CGD entity, while GGL's Lucknow/Agra prices are now ₹108/kg — a ₹16.50/kg gap within the same state, reflecting different gas sourcing mixes and distribution cost structures.

The May 2026 wave of four hikes in eleven days across Delhi and North India established that CGD entities are now willing to revise prices at high frequency rather than absorbing short-term cost spikes. Buyers and fleet operators in UP should plan for continued price volatility through the winter of 2026–27.

Should UP buyers still choose a CNG car in November 2026?

For high-mileage users — those covering 1,500 km or more per month — factory-fitted CNG still offers a meaningful running-cost advantage over petrol, even at ₹108/kg in Lucknow. The Maruti Dzire S-CNG remains the benchmark for per-km economy in this segment by ARAI numbers, and the Swift S-CNG offers a slightly lower entry price with comparable efficiency.

The caveats merit serious consideration. Boot space is genuinely compromised on all three Maruti S-CNG models due to the single-cylinder layout. Power in CNG mode is lower than petrol — noticeable on UP expressways and highway overtakes. CNG station density in smaller UP towns beyond Lucknow, Agra and Ayodhya remains uneven; running out of CNG and switching to petrol mode eliminates the cost advantage for that tank. The price trajectory since May 2026 suggests the ₹108/kg figure in Lucknow is unlikely to be the ceiling.

For buyers doing under 1,000 km/month or those who frequently travel to areas with sparse CNG infrastructure, the financial case for paying the CNG premium weakens considerably. Our best CNG cars guide and large-family CNG buying guide walk through these trade-offs in detail for different buyer profiles.

The November 2026 hike is Re 1/kg in most cities — small in isolation, but it is the sixth revision in six months for GGL's service area. UP's CNG car owners are not facing a crisis, but they are watching the economics of their purchase decision shift incrementally with each revision notice.