Mungara Rahul
•2wI am planning to buy my first car, and I have never owned one before. I own a house with a car parking area. My car usage will be very low, maybe twice a week or even less. I am confused about what to choose: Should I buy a petrol vehicle now (BS6 Phase 2 engine car)? Or should I wait for flex-fuel engines to come to market, as E27 is in the news? Should I buy an EV? Please advise.
Autocar India
First, let’s clear the confusion around flex-fuel and E27. There’s a lot of noise on social media, but flex-fuel cars (E27 and above) are still some time away in the mass market. Also, it’s not yet clear what real-world benefit they will offer to customers. Higher ethanol blends generally reduce fuel efficiency, so unless E27 fuel is significantly cheaper than today’s E20 petrol, the advantage may not be substantial.
Current BS6 Phase 2 petrol cars are fully compatible with E20 fuel, which is expected to remain the base fuel even if higher ethanol blends are introduced. So buying a petrol car now is absolutely safe and sensible. There’s no need to delay your purchase waiting for flex-fuel technology.
Now, since you have your own house with dedicated parking, installing a home charger is possible. That makes an EV a practical option. For a first-time buyer, an EV is actually very easy to drive. It has no clutch, no gear shifts, offers smooth acceleration, and has very low running costs. Something like the Tata Punch EV offers good value. Just keep in mind that long highway trips will require planning around charging stops.
If your usage is only twice a week or less, a regular petrol car may still be the simpler, more flexible choice. One of our go-to recommendations for first-time buyers is the Honda Amaze. It’s easy to drive, reliable, comfortable and offers hassle-free ownership.
Tata Punch EV
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Posted on: 2 Mar 2026
