My daily commute is around 250 km (round trip) between Greater Noida and Gurgaon, so I am looking for a cost-effective car with minimal running costs. I currently own a Maruti XL6 CNG, which has already completed 1 lakh kilometres. Please suggest the best suitable car, considering I plan to sell my existing vehicle.

Autocar India

•1d

With 100-125 km a day and Rs. 15 lakh budget, the Tata Nexon EV Creative 45kWh fits your brief best. It will cut your running cost sharply, stays in budget, and the single-gear drive feels far smoother than your Swift’s automatic in stop-go traffic. For your mix of city and 80-90 kph state roads, it moves easily at low speeds and stays steady at cruise. The higher seat and comfortable ride also help on broken patches and speed breakers.Do check two things: you should be able to park at home and plug in overnight, and at 80-90kph with AC the range will drop a bit, so keep some spare range in hand. In our real world tests, we managed 355km on a single charge so you will need to charge it once every two days. If you must go CNG, consider the Tata Altroz iCNG automatic. It lowers fuel spend and keeps the easy drive, but it feels slower on CNG, the boot is smaller, and CNG pump queues can eat time. For your daily run and savings goal, go with a Nexon EV.

Tata Altroz

Tata Nexon EV

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Autocar India

•1d

If you can set up a charger at home, an EV would be cheaper to run, but on your longer trips (150km one way, 300km return), you might need to make a quick stop to top up the battery. If you are alright with the extra planning, then the EV is the obvious choice. If you cant charge at home and dont want trips to be limited by range, then the diesel automatic is the safer choice.If you decide to go with an EV, then the Tata Nexon EV is a good choice. The 45kWh battery can deliver around 350km in the real world, as per our testing, which should be enough for most of your trips. For a diesel, the Kia Seltos HTE (O) diesel automatic is a good choice. The base trim is rather well equipped, with features like cruise control to take the stress out of your longer drives.If you have a fixed parking spot where you can set up a charger and your routes have fast chargers, an EV is the better choice.

Tata Nexon EV

Kia Seltos

Autocar India

•2d

For daily city use and moving up from a Baleno, you should consider the Tata Punch EV Long Range. It is small on the outside, so you can park and squeeze through traffic easily, but the seat is higher and the ground clearance is better than your Baleno, so speed breakers and broken roads are less of a worry. The drive is smooth and quiet at low speeds, which makes stop-go traffic far less tiring, and a home overnight charge will comfortably cover multiple city commutes.Do note, the rear seat and boot are not very big, so long trips with lots of luggage will require you to plan.If you want more cabin space and a stronger performance while still staying city friendly, look at the Tata Nexon EV. Overall, for daily city duty, the Punch EV LR lines up best.

Tata Punch EV

Tata Nexon EV

Maruti Suzuki Baleno