Hi Autocar Team, my daily running is around 40 km, mostly in the city. I am confused about whether I should choose a petrol car or an electric vehicle. I have shortlisted the Honda Amaze and the Tata Punch EV. Could you please suggest which option would be better suited for my usage?

Autocar India

•11m

Since your driving is within the city and on the higher side, opt for the electric Tata Punch. The smooth EV drive and compact dimensions is something you will appreciate in the city. Also, the higher seating helps with visibility in tight lanes. Since you drive about 40kms per day, you can opt for the smaller battery '30' model, but if your budget allows, opt for the larger '40' model.

With its real-world range of about 300 kms, you'll have fewer charges per week. Speaking of which, opt for the EV only if you have the ability to charge at home or your place of work, as relying on public chargers is not convenient.

The one thing you give up is quick refuelling if you plan long trips; even with fast charging, you’ll need to plan stops. Thus, if you do frequent long drives, consider the Honda Amaze CVT instead, which offers easy refuelling and a relaxed automatic for traffic.

Explore cars mentioned

Tata

Punch EV

from ₹10.28 Lakh

Honda

Amaze

from ₹8.79 Lakh

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Gopi

•1w

I am planning to buy an electric car for mixed usage, including city driving, highway trips, and occasional hill drives. I have shortlisted the Tata Punch EV, Tata Nexon EV, and MG Windsor EV, but I am confused about which one would be the best choice. My key considerations are real-world driving range, highway performance, hill driving capability, and overall value for money. Could you please suggest which EV among these would suit my needs best and which variant I should choose?

Autocar India

•1d

Since your usage is a mix of city and highway driving, with occasional trips to the hills, it would be advisable to opt for the largest battery pack available. Among your chosen options, the standard MG Windsor has the smallest battery at 38kWh, the updated Tata Punch EV can be had with a 40kWh battery, and the Tata Nexon EV gets a 45kWh unit. MG has also introduced the Windsor Pro with a 52.9kWh battery pack, but it comes at a premium of almost Rs 2 lakh over the standard Windsor.If you are willing to stretch your budget, the Windsor Pro will offer the longest real-world range of the three. In our testing, the standard 38kWh Windsor managed a combined real-world range of 308km, with an efficiency of 8.1km/kWh. With a significantly larger battery, the Windsor Pro should be able to deliver around 400km in real-world conditions. Naturally, the range will drop when climbing hills, but you will be able to recoup some energy on the way down using the regen modes. If you are on a tighter budget, then the Nexon EV with the 45kWh battery is a good choice too. In our testing, it delivered an efficiency of 7.79km/kWh and a real-world range of around 350km.

Shankar

Hi, what is the best EV car for daily city rides of more than 80km?

Autocar India

•7h

The recently facelifted Tata Punch EV is a great choice for a city car. With the larger 40kWh battery pack, Tata claims a real-world range of about 335-355km according to its C75 rating, figures which, the carmaker says, 75% of customers can expect based on analysis of historical driving data from its existing EV users.We are yet to verify these claims, but our road test of the previous 35kWh long-range Punch EV yielded a combined range of 229km, which we expect this facelift to improve upon significantly.

Tata Punch EV

Dimpy Bhardwaj

•1d

I just sold my Ford Aspire diesel. I am looking to choose between Fronx CNG and Brezza CNG. We are a couple with 2 kids. My run will be 40% city and 60% highway. My preference is a comfortable ride for the family and an easy-to-manoeuvre car between these two. I will wait for the underbody CNG updates in both cars. Which car should we buy? Please assist. Monthly running is 1,200-1,500km.

Autocar India

•3h

You can't go wrong with either of the two cars. However, since you are looking at ride quality and drive more on highways, we'd recommend you lean towards the Maruti Suzuki Fronx. The ride and handling set-up of the Brezza has an emphasis on a cushioned low-speed ride, and thus, potholes in the city are well absorbed with hardly any harshness. The softer spring, though, means there is some pitch and squat on undulating highways, and since you drive more on the highways, the Fronx would thus be better.It offers a more stable high-speed ride, and while the ride quality is definitely stiffer than the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, it’s not uncomfortable or jarring. The rear room is also lower than the Brezza, but given that it's your two kids who would sit at the back, the Fronx should not be a problem here, too.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Maruti Suzuki Fronx

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