Autocar India
4w

I'm planning to buy a new car in the approximate 18 lakh range. I'm confused between the Creta SX Premium Summer Edition and the Seltos HTX(A) variant. While the Seltos has more features, its petrol NA engine felt underpowered, and the turbo version is above 20 lakh. I generally drive in the city and on highways, but I also visit hilly areas often. Can you suggest any other options in this range?

Verified
4w
Pick the Hyundai Creta diesel manual. Your hill drives will benefit from the effortless pull of a diesel at low speeds, and this engine gives that without making you work the gearbox. It also does better mileage than the petrol in all conditions, and the Creta’s ride is a touch softer, so your city commutes and long highway runs will be comfier. The only catch is you may give up a few of the Seltos’ showy features at this price, and the new-gen Kia Seltos is a bit more spacious than the Creta.
If you’re fixed on petrol and want more pull than the Creta or Seltos' 1.5 NA petrol, look at the Skoda Kushaq 1.0 TSI or Volkswagen Taigun 1.0 TSI. Their turbo engines have strong mid‑range for hills and overtakes, and you can find good manual or automatic variants within your budget. They’re a size smaller inside than Creta/Seltos, and service reach isn’t as wide in smaller towns, but they drive superbly. Alternatively, check out the new Renault Duster, which offers both turbo-petrol engines across a wide price range.
Hyundai Creta

Hyundai Creta

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2d

I bought my beloved Hyundai Creta last year after months and months of deliberation and after checking more than 25 cars. Now with this E20 nonsense going on, I am not too sure I want to put my prized possession through all this bullshit. My annual usage is about 4000 to 5000 kms and mostly in the city with the occasional highway run. Please inform me which car I should go for if I have to move to another vehicle. I am not sure about an EV since my usage is less. Diesel is out of the question. Does that leave me with CNG?

Verified
1d

We don't think you should replace your 2025 Creta because of concerns around ethanol blending. Your car is E20 compliant, and while there has been plenty of discussion around E25, E27 and even E30 fuels, there is currently no official roadmap confirming such a transition. Even if higher ethanol blends are introduced in the future, the impact on a modern E20-compliant car is expected to be limited. Manufacturers typically engineer a degree of tolerance into their E20-compatible engines, so occasional exposure to slightly higher ethanol blends is unlikely to cause any immediate issues. Over a very long period, the most likely effects would be a small drop in fuel efficiency and slightly accelerated wear of certain fuel-system components, not a major reliability concern.With an annual running of just 4,000-5,000km, neither an EV nor a CNG car makes much financial sense. It would take a very long time to recover the additional cost through lower running costs. Similarly, a diesel isn't the right fit for your predominantly city usage.

VehicleHyundai Creta

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Posted on: 8 Jun 2026