Latest questions answered by experts

autocar.india

•2h

Get the Kia Carens Clavis, because it is the most comfortable, family-friendly 7-seater you can buy under Rs. 20 lakh and it represents a clear step up from your old Figo, especially in terms of cabin space and quality. The third row can fit in adults, the ride quality is good over broken roads, and you get the choice of smooth petrols or a frugal diesel, so it works for both city commutes and long highway drives.About fuel choice, it should depend on your usage pattern. If most of your use is in city and your monthly running is below roughly 1,200 km, go for one of the 1.5 petrols - the naturally aspirated engine is smooth and relatively efficient while the turbo engine is punchy and more fun to drive. If you drive a lot, do frequent highway trips, or your monthly running is above roughly 1,500 km, the diesel makes a stronger case with it's efficiency. Top trims can sneak past Rs. 20 lakh on-road in some cities, so pick a mid variant to stay within your budget.

Kia Carens Clavis

autocar.india

•3h

Pick the Innova HyCross ZX(O). For a hard Rs. 40 lakh cap it fits cleanly, it is the most comfortable and spacious for family, and it is far easier to live with daily. The smooth hybrid makes city drives effortless and quiet, and on broken roads, it just takes the abuse without rattling everyone. Your 20 percent off-road sounds like rough trails rather than rock crawling, and the HyCross will handle that sort of bad-road stuff better than you expect. But, the Innova isn't particularly fun to drive.If you really crave driver fun, the Kodiaq is the one that puts a smile on your face. The 2-litre turbo petrol and AWD make it genuinely enjoyable on highways and hills and the cabin feels richer. Two catches, though. It likely stretches past Rs. 40 lakh on-road in most cities, and its third row is tighter, and you have to be a bit careful off the beaten path.The Fortuner petrol is the most capable off-road, but for 80 per cent on-road use, it feels heavy and bouncy, the steering is not friendly in town, and it guzzles fuel.

Toyota Innova HyCross

Toyota Fortuner

Skoda Kodiaq

autocar.india

•3h

Pick the Creta Electric. For your Rs 25-27 lakh budget, it is the safest bet, and Hyundai’s huge service network will make long-term ownership hassle free. As an EV, it is smooth, quiet and quick enough, and Hyundai’s software and battery management have been trouble-free for most owners, which matters more than a flash spec sheet five years down the line. It is also known to reliably deliver the closest real-world range to its official rating amongst its peers, thanks to a highly efficient powertrain. The Harrier EV and XEV 9S are tempting for space and power, but are likely to sit higher than your budget and have been known to have some niggles especially in the software and electronics departments. The Sierra EV has now been launched and is certainly worth considering. It offers a larger battery, a spacious cabin and a premium overall package. However, being a brand-new product, we'd prefer to wait and see how it settles in before recommending it over the more established Creta Electric. You should also expect a waiting period on popular variants.Another EV you could consider is the Maruti Suzuki e-Vitara. Though not as spacious as the others, nor as efficient, being from the house of Maruti Suzuki, it is expected to offer hassle-free reliability and a smooth ownership experience.

Hyundai Creta Electric

Tata Harrier EV

Mahindra XEV 9S

Maruti Suzuki e Vitara

Tata Sierra EV

autocar.india

•3h

Buy the Tata Nexon EV if you have your eye on it. It meets your under Rs. 20 lakh cap and sub-4.3 m size, and with 30-35 km a day, you can charge at home just a couple of times a week and be sorted. The Sierra EV has now been launched and is a larger, more premium SUV. Its base variant sits at around your Rs 20 lakh on-road budget, but it is significantly larger than your preferred size. While it offers a bigger battery, a more spacious cabin and a more premium overall experience, you'll have to stretch your budget if you want the higher variants.For most city use, the Nexon EV rides well, is easy to park, and is a known package with a wide service network. If you do the odd highway run, pick the larger-battery Nexon EV and plan fast-charge stops along the route.One catch: The Nexon’s cabin and boot are smaller than what the Sierra will offer. If you truly need that extra space, be ready to spend more and wait.

Tata Nexon EV

Tata Sierra EV

autocar.india

•4h

Yes, buying a petrol car right now is perfectly fine. Every new petrol car sold in India today is E20-compliant, so you're already covered for the current fuel standard. E85 has been introduced, but availability is still extremely limited, only a handful of pumps stock it so far, and there's no immediate timeline for E100 to roll out at the retail level.Here's the bit that matters more for you: E85 and E100 aren't things you need to worry about at all, since these higher blends are meant strictly for flex fuel vehicles, not regular E20 cars. What you should actually keep an eye on is whether the base fuel blend itself moves from E20 to E30 in the coming years. Even then, most manufacturers have already built in a buffer in their E20 compliant engines to handle slightly higher ethanol content without issues.As for wear and tear, any accelerated degradation of fuel system components would play out gradually over a long period, and the parts involved (seals, gaskets, injectors) aren't particularly expensive to replace. So our advice is simple: ignore the social media noise about ethanol "destroying" engines overnight. That narrative is mostly clickbait dressed up as concern, designed to rack up views rather than inform anyone.The realistic downside isn't engine damage, it's a dip in fuel efficiency as ethanol content rises, since ethanol carries less energy per litre than petrol. Expect mileage to drop marginally as blends increase, not your engine to fail.Bottom line: buy the petrol car you want, run it on whatever pump fuel is available, and don't lose sleep over flex fuel blends that don't even apply to your vehicle.