Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria are beneficial soil microorganisms that enhance plant growth through nutrient mobilization, phytohormone production and other plant–microbe interactions. The present study evaluated the efficacy of selected PGPR isolates for improving the growth, biomass production and quality attributes of chilli under greenhouse conditions. Forty bacterial isolates obtained from chilli rhizosphere soils collected from Raichur and Bidar districts of Karnataka. Further, forty isolates were coded, characterized based on morphological and biochemical tests and were screened for different plant growth promoting traits. Based on their superior activities SMP4, SMP36 as Bacillus sp and SMP15 as Pseudomonas sp. tentatively identified and were selected for evaluation under greenhouse condition. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications, eight treatments using chilli variety Byadagi. Observations on plant height, number of branches, number of fruits, chlorophyll content, root length, root biomass, shoot biomass, total microbial population and ascorbic acid content were recorded at different growth stages. The combined application of SMP4 + SMP15 + SMP36 with 75% RDF exhibited superior growth and biomass attributes compared with 75% RDF alone. The findings indicate that a consortium of efficient PGPR isolates can improve chilli growth and productivity while offering potential for reducing dependence on higher fertilizer inputs.