Latest questions answered by experts

Autocar India

•44m

For a 40-50 km daily city run and a budget of Rs. 15-17 lakh, go with the Nexon EV 45kWh version in a mid trim. It suits your use and budget better than stretching for the Vinfast VF6. You’ll get more than enough range for the week with a healthy buffer; it is easy to drive and park, rides comfortably over bad patches. Also, Tata’s service reach is fairly wide. The Nexon EV has also proven to be a safe car.Do note, the Nexon EV’s cabin does not feel as premium as the VF6. But for office runs, traffic and the odd weekend trip, it works well.If you want a fresher shape and a bit more road presence from your shortlist, the Tata Curvv EV is worth a look.

Tata Nexon EV

Vinfast VF6

Tata Curvv EV

Autocar India

•1h

Yes, a flex‑fuel car will run on E20 safely, and it is the sensible choice outside metros, but it has “no cons.” You’ll see a small change in behaviour and mileage when you switch blends. The ECU and ethanol sensor adjust fueling and timing in minutes, so filling E20 on a long trip is absolutely viable. In fact, you’ll get a better range on E20 than on E85 because ethanol carries less energy per litre. The trade-off is power: if the engine is tuned to exploit E85’s high octane, it will pull timing on E20, so you won’t get its best output, just normal petrol-like performance.One caution: this all applies only to a car certified as flex fuel, usually E0/E20 to E85 or even E100. A dedicated E85-only tune or cheap conversion kit is a different story and shouldn’t be fed E20.About C2H4O, that is acetaldehyde. Ethanol blends can raise aldehydes, especially at cold start. Modern three‑way catalysts with beefed‑up oxidation coatings, smarter warm‑up, and BS6 Phase 2 calibrations cut most of it. You don’t need to do anything extra as an owner.

Autocar India

•12h

Get the Hyundai Exter. For mostly city use and an upgrade from your 2015 Grand i10, it’s the easiest step up: higher seat and better ground clearance for speed breakers, yet small enough to park and thread through traffic without stress. The light controls and smooth petrol make daily commutes simple, and Hyundai’s wide service network will feel familiar. In your budget, you can land a lower or mid manual trim, so it fits the budget without feeling bare-bones.What helps you most is comfort and convenience in the city. The cabin is more airy than your i10, the ride handles rough patches better, and running 750-800 km a month, petrol makes far more sense than stretching for a diesel or an EV.

Hyundai Exter

Autocar India

•12h

Given your requirements, your best bet is the Maruti Suzuki Victoris VXI CNG. It falls well within your budget and has received 5-star crash test ratings from both Bharat NCAP and Global NCAP. It's one of the very few midsize SUVs to be available with CNG, and thanks to an under-floor dual-cylinder CNG tank layout, you don't sacrifice too much boot space and practicality as you do in most CNG cars. Being a Maruti, you can expect great mileage and low running costs as well, and its controls are light, making city driving quite effortless. The only downsides are that it is not available in a higher trim than the mid-range VXI, so you miss out on some features from the petrol car, and though power from the 1.5-litre engine is adequate when running on petrol, it will feel a bit underpowered running on CNG.If you don't mind a slightly smaller car, the Tata Nexon i-CNG is another great option within your budget. It also uses an under-floor dual-cylinder setup and has a 5-star crash test rating. However, its turbo-petrol engine is a lot punchier, whether running on petrol or CNG, and the CNG version is available in many more variants - all within your budget - going up to a well-loaded Fearless + PS Red Dark. It is, of course, not quite as spacious as the Victoris, but it comes quite close.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Tata Nexon

Autocar India

•13h

First things first, E20 petrol is going to stick around for the foreseeable future, and while multiple higher ethanol blends are likely to be introduced later, E20 will be the baseline, which will be available predominantly at all fuel pumps in the country. Therefore, if you buy an E20-compliant vehicle, then you can safely use it for the coming years. Secondly, the CB300F Flex Fuel - as well as the standard E20-compliant variant - has been removed from Honda's website, and it is quite likely that the model has been discontinued, although perhaps some dealers may have leftover stocks depending on the region.