I am planning to buy a new car with a budget of ₹12-13 lakh. My usage will be primarily city driving

Autocar India

•29m

With 90:10 city to highway use and an upgrade from your 2015 Hyundai i20, the Maruti Suzuki Victoris strong-hybrid automatic is the best fit. In slow city traffic it can move on electric power a lot of the time, so it feels very quiet and smooth and uses less fuel. The automatic makes daily driving easy, the seat is higher than your i20 Active so you see out better, and Maruti's service reach is wide, which helps for long-term peace of mind.Know the trade-offs: the hybrid’s battery eats into boot space, and when you press hard on the highway the engine can sound loud and you may need a bit more planning for fast overtakes.If you prefer the Toyota badge, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder strong-hybrid gives you the same smooth city drive with a different cabin feel. If you want a sedan, look at the Honda City and pick the hybrid variant if available near you; it is very smooth and efficient in town, but the boot is smaller than the standard City. Overall, for mostly city driving, the Victoris hybrid lines up best.Renault will be out with the Duster hybrid later this year and that could be an option to consider if you're not in a rush to bring home a new car.

Renault Duster

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

Hyundai i20

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Autocar India

•1d

Based on your priorities, the Hyundai i20 IVT would be our first recommendation. The IVT automatic is one of the smoothest gearboxes in this price range and is exactly the kind of transmission you should be looking at if you want a completely jerk-free city driving experience. The i20 also feels genuinely premium inside, with good cabin quality, solid feature content and in your budget, you can stretch to a well-equipped Asta variant with features like the Bose audio system and a nicely finished interior. Hyundai’s reliability and ownership experience also make it an easy long-term recommendation.If by build quality you specifically mean a stronger crash test safety proposition, then the Honda Amaze CVT is also worth serious consideration. Its CVT is equally smooth, Honda’s long-term reliability is excellent, and it feels like a sensible 10-year ownership choice. It may not feel as premium inside as the i20, but from a pure, dependable ownership perspective, it is a very strong alternative.

Hyundai i20

Honda Amaze

Autocar India

•3d

We would suggest the Tata Punch EV. If your priority is the lowest possible budget while still getting a genuine 200 km plus real-world range, it is one of the easiest recommendations right now. The updated Punch EV now gets a larger battery pack option, and in real-world use, comfortably clears your 200 km requirement without needing to stretch into more expensive EVs.It also works well as an everyday city car thanks to its compact size, easy driving manners and the added practicality of SUV-like ground clearance. If your requirement is simply the most affordable EV that can reliably deliver that kind of range, the Punch EV is the cleanest fit.

Tata Punch EV