Since you are still learning, two cars that you can look at in the second hand market are the Maruti Suzuki Swift or Hyundai i20. Swift is slightly smaller, making it easy to drive in the city while i20 comes with more space and premium interiors. As you wish to keep the car for over 5 years, it will be wise to go for a car which is around 3 years old and should have an odometer reading between 35-40000kms. This way you will save on cost and still get a car which has some life left in it.

Your usage of 2000km per month is relatively high, so we would recommend a diesel or a hybrid to offset your running costs. If you're going for a hybrid, consider the Maruti Suzuki Victoris, which has incredible mileage and a 5-star Bharat NCAP and Global NCAP safety rating. However, its road presence is not very strong.If you want a diesel, go for the Kia Seltos, which is a larger car with good road presence, and comes with a smooth 1.5-litre diesel engine and the option of a 6-speed AT. It has not yet been tested by any NCAP authority, but a good result is expected. Both cars have good after-sales service networks.

The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is a good choice. It’s spacious for its size, comfortable, and very easy to drive in the city. The 1.2-litre petrol engine is smooth, and while the AMT adds convenience, it isn’t the slickest in the segment. In real-world conditions, you can expect around 10-12 kpl in the city and 15-16 kpl on the highway.Another car you can consider is the Maruti Suzuki Swift. It has a proven, reliable engine paired with a smoother AMT, and it is unbeatable on fuel efficiency. In our real-world tests, it delivered over 12 kpl in the city and over 19 kpl on the highway.

The ex-showroom price of the Mahindra Bolero Neo N11 is Rs 10 lakh, so you will have to account for costs of insurance, registration and other charges. That said, the Bolero Neo is a rugged SUV, with a surprisingly refined 1.5L diesel engine. Also, it has the ability to seat seven, which gives it an edge over the 5-seater monocoque compact SUVs available at a similar price. However, if you don't need that extra pair of jump seats, we'd recommend you to consider the Maruti Brezza or Mahindra XUV 3XO instead, which are a lot easier and more car-like to drive, and their driving dynamics are also much better than the Bolero Neo. These compact SUVs feel surprisingly robust, however if your usage majorly includes bad and broken roads, the Bolero Neo could be the better pick, simply for its toughness and abuse-friendliness.