Hi, my daily commute is 80 km to and fro for 22 days a month, with about 70% in city traffic and 30% on the highway. I am looking for a 7-seater, and maintenance and mileage are important considerations for me. ICE, EV, or Hybrid options are all fine, and my budget is up to ₹30 lakh - please advise which car I should choose.

Since you are learning to ride and haven't specified your budget, we will stick to recommending 125-150cc machines as they are affordable, fuel-efficient and beginner-friendly. Since you want a bike that stands out from the crowd, we would recommend considering the TVS Raider, Hero Xtreme 125R and Honda CB125 Hornet in the 125cc class. All are peppy, frugal and have catchy styling while being very easy to ride. All three come with single-channel ABS on at least one variant, and we'd recommend going for one of the ABS variants, considering you are a newer rider. In the 150/160cc class, bikes like the Bajaj Pulsar N160, TVS Apache RTR 160 4V, Suzuki Gixxer and Honda SP160 would be a good bet.

For your driving pattern and the amount of driving you do every day, it's best to go for a strong diesel. The best diesel 7-seater for your budget is the Mahindra XUV 7X0, which will be launched early next month. The 7X0 is an upgraded Mahindra XUV700 and comes with the same strong 2.2 diesel engine and smooth 6-speed automatic gearbox. The 7X0 will be a great highway car, and the light steering makes it easy to drive in the city, too. Do bear in mind the third row isn’t spacious at all.

If you want your car to be feature-loaded, we suggest you wait for the launch of Mahindra 7XO, which is coming on 5th January, and is expected to get an updated exterior and pack new features too. Since you primarily drive in the city, we recommend you go for the petrol engine of the Mahindra XUV 7XO.

New Kia Seltos prices are to be announced on 2nd January 2026. We will have to wait for the prices to be out to compare the two. Kia and Hyundai have similar maintenance structures, though Hyundai has many more service centres, adding to the ease of getting your car serviced; their cost structures are similar. Seltos will offer more space in the cabin, and considering that both cars give roughly the same mileage, the mid variants tend to have all the necessary features. We suggest you wait for the Seltos prices to be out to make up your mind.