I’m looking for a compact automatic car as a secondary vehicle, with a ₹10-12 lakh budget. It will be used mainly in the city for under 500 km/month. Safety is a priority - please suggest suitable models.

Autocar India

•6h

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

•10h

The Maruti Suzuki Brezza facelift is expected fairly soon, so if you are specifically waiting for the updated model, the wait should not be long. The latest test sightings suggest Maruti is in the advanced stages of development, which usually points to a launch in the coming months rather than being a distant future product.As for ADAS, while Maruti has not officially confirmed the exact feature list yet, it is widely expected that the updated Brezza will bring a stronger technology and safety package to stay competitive, and ADAS is very much a possibility.So if your priority is getting the latest Brezza with newer features and potentially ADAS, it makes sense to wait a little rather than buying the outgoing model right now.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza facelift

Autocar India

•3d

With 100-125 km a day and Rs. 15 lakh budget, the Tata Nexon EV Creative 45kWh fits your brief best. It will cut your running cost sharply, stays in budget, and the single-gear drive feels far smoother than your Swift’s automatic in stop-go traffic. For your mix of city and 80-90 kph state roads, it moves easily at low speeds and stays steady at cruise. The higher seat and comfortable ride also help on broken patches and speed breakers.Do check two things: you should be able to park at home and plug in overnight, and at 80-90kph with AC the range will drop a bit, so keep some spare range in hand. In our real world tests, we managed 355km on a single charge so you will need to charge it once every two days. If you must go CNG, consider the Tata Altroz iCNG automatic. It lowers fuel spend and keeps the easy drive, but it feels slower on CNG, the boot is smaller, and CNG pump queues can eat time. For your daily run and savings goal, go with a Nexon EV.

Tata Altroz

Tata Nexon EV

Maruti Suzuki Swift