Hello, I am planning to buy the Hyundai Creta EV, but am confused between the Creta EV and the Creta automatic petrol. I drive around 30 km daily and intend to keep the car for the next 6-8 years. I am also concerned about resale value, as EVs are perceived to have lower resale value. I already own a Kia Seltos diesel. Kindly suggest a better option considering all these factors.

Autocar India

•1h

For your usage, we would recommend the Kia Seltos diesel manual. Since your driving is primarily long distance and you plan to keep the car for the long term, the diesel makes complete sense, and the Seltos is a very easy car to recommend in this budget. It feels like a significant upgrade from your old Dzire in every way, with a far more premium cabin, much better comfort and stronger highway performance.The new Seltos is also larger than the Hyundai Creta, and offers more cabin space, a bigger boot and overall feels more premium. Kia has also improved the ride quality over the previous generation, so it feels more comfortable and settled on long journeys while still being easy to drive.The Creta diesel manual remains a strong alternative because it uses the same dependable diesel powertrain, but the current Creta is now the older product and due for a generational replacement in roughly the next year or so.

Hyundai Creta

Autocar India

•1d

With just 50 km a week, we would strongly advise against a diesel automatic. Your running is simply too low for a modern diesel to make sense, and repeated low usage can create DPF-related headaches over time.Between your options, the Hyundai Creta petrol automatic or Kia Seltos petrol automatic are the much smarter choices. If we had to pick one, we would lean toward the Seltos IVT because it feels slightly more premium inside, and the IVT automatic is exceptionally smooth in daily use. The Creta IVT is equally good mechanically and rides a touch softer, so if comfort is your absolute top priority, it remains a very strong option too.

Hyundai Creta

Kia Seltos

Autocar India

•1d

Coming to the first part of your question, you mentioned that you loved the driving experience of the Renault Duster 1.3 Turbo DCT, you are planning to skip it because your family wasn't happy with the space at the back. We would strongly advise you to reconsider.Yes, space is tighter than most rivals in this class, and ingress/egress (for rear passengers) is a bit difficult, but if you're rarely going to have passengers at the back, it shouldn't be a deal-breaker for you. If you really enjoyed the drive experience, it is certainly worth going for. The turbo-DCT isn't very fuel efficient, but keep in mind that the hybrid is likely to command a significant premium over it, so unless your usage is over 1500km per month, it is worth opting for the turbo-petrol DCT.The Kia Seltos is an excellent all-rounder, when it comes to space, comfort, interior quality and it is one that checks all the right boxes, however unlike the Duster, it lacks that emotional appeal, so it won't tug at your heartstrings. If you go for it, you won't go wrong with it.Your concern of whether the petrol engine will be capable of handling higher Ethanol blend is valid, so opting for an EV could be an option, but be prepared to pay a premium for an electric powertrain. As far as the Hyundai Creta Electric goes, yes, it does feel a bit old compared to the modern offerings, however it is an excellent car - one that we easily recommend.

Renault Duster

Kia Seltos

Hyundai Creta