Anil Gupta
•1dHello Team, I am planning to buy a new 7-seater SUV with a budget of around ₹18 lakh. My usage will be: 90% city driving (daily ~50 km) 10% occasional long trips I am currently driving a Hyundai i10 petrol manual (2015) and looking for a comfortable upgrade. My priorities are: Comfort (especially for family) Easy driving in city traffic Good mileage Low maintenance Practical 7-seater usability Could you please suggest the most suitable SUV for my needs?

Autocar India
Go for the Kia Carens Clavis 1.5 petrol, it does not have an SUV body style, but at your budget and with your 90% city use and 50 km a day, it is the easiest and most comfortable three-row you can live with daily.
Coming from your i10, the Carens will feel much bigger, but it is still friendly in traffic: light steering, a calm engine and good all-round visibility make daily driving and parking far less stressful than most big seven-seaters. There's also a smooth enough clutch, and you could also consider the automatic, which is a bit above your budget. The ride is comfortable over speed breakers and broken patches, there is proper space in the second row, and the third row is very usable for kids or shorter adults, and the air-con vents for all rows help in hot weather. If you do want a true SUV feel, however and can manage a bigger car and are ok with a lower mileage, consider the Mahindra XUV 7XO.

Kia Carens Clavis
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Anil Gupta
•6sBudget can go around 20 lakh. Further I running i20 instead of i10.
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Posted on: 10 Apr 2026
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