I have a budget of ₹10 lakh and drive around 40 km daily in the city. I am looking for a car with high ground clearance and a very upright seating position. What would you suggest?

Autocar India

•2d

Pick the Tata Punch iCNG AMT Pure+ if you do decide to change your car. With your high, 2000+ km monthly running and a Rs. 10 lakh cap, the Punch CNG AMT meets your requirements and helps you cut your fuel spend. The AMT automatic gearbox makes it easy to drive in traffic, and the CNG setup keeps running costs low while still feeling solid and safe for daily use.That said, with only Rs. 3 lakh resale, it would also make sense to keep your EcoSport if it is running well. It is still a tough, safe car with a smooth automatic and a good ride on bad roads. Ford service support is still available in most big cities, so upkeep should not be a worry if your car is healthy.If you do switch to the Punch iCNG AMT, know these trade-offs: it is not very quick for sudden highway passes, the boot is smaller than the petrol because of the CNG tanks under the boot floor, and the AMT can feel a bit hesitant during gear changes at low speeds. Also, make sure CNG pumps are easy to reach on your regular routes.Bottom line: keep the EcoSport if it’s mechanically sound; if you must change under Rs. 10 lakh and want an automatic, the Punch iCNG AMT is the most sensible fit for your heavy running.

Tata Punch

Autocar India

•8h

Go for the Kia Carens Clavis DCT HTK+(O) 1.5 turbo-petrol for a chauffeur-driven family car with easy entry for parents and a little fun when you take the wheel. It fits your brief best at this budget.Your parents will find it easy to step in because the floor is low and the rear doors open wide, so they do not have to climb up or drop down. The rear seat is roomy and supportive, and the ride is comfortable at city speeds, which helps in tier-2 traffic. The automatic here is a DCT, which is an automatic that changes gears very quickly. On the highway, the turbo-petrol picks up speed easily, so overtaking feels stress-free and even exciting. Kia’s service reach in smaller towns is also quite good now, which matters for easy ownership.Two things to be aware of: in very slow bumper-to-bumper traffic, the DCT can feel a touch jerky and hesitant if you are gentle on the throttle, and the car is long, so tight parking needs some care. If you prefer two rows and an even softer ride, look at the Hyundai Creta 1.5 petrol IVT SX. It is very smooth in traffic and easy enough on ingress/egress, though not as exciting as the Clavis turbo.Take your parents along for the test drive and check step-in height and rear-seat comfort, then do a short highway run to feel how easily it gains speed.

Kia Carens Clavis

Hyundai Creta

Autocar India

•9h

The decision between a petrol or electric car really comes down to your personal situation. If you are looking to buy an EV, then you must have your own charging facility, as relying fully on public chargers is not convenient at all. Another factor to consider is your driving distance. As you said, it's for weekly drives with your family. We assume you mean out-of-city drives. If these drives are about 100 to 150km in total distance, then you should be fine with going electric, as within your budget, you would get the smaller battery pack Tata Nexon, which should offer you a real-world range of about 200-220km. Though bear in mind that if the drives involve a lot of hilly terrains, this range can drop further still. Thus, if your drives are longer, you would need to charge, in which case a petrol Nexon would make better sense.

Tata Nexon