There are 4 members in my family. I am a first-time buyer. My total travel will be around 250km per month and occasional 4-5 long tours in a year. My budget is around 10-12 lacs, and looking for a safe, low-maintenance SUV. Which car do you suggest? Further, should I go for EV or hybrid petrol since the current scenario around petrol is not sure?

autocar.india

•5h

This is a tricky one because your monthly running is expected to reduce significantly, and that changes the ideal choice of fuel.If you continue to cover around 3,100km a month, we'd recommend the Maruti Suzuki Brezza CNG. It will offer the lowest running costs, and with the facelift expected to launch in July, it may be worth waiting for the updated model. If you don't want the inconvenience of refuelling at CNG stations, the Hyundai Venue Diesel Manual would be our alternative. Your current running is high enough to justify a diesel, and it should prove to be efficient and economical over the long term.However, if your running settles at around 800-1,000km a month, we'd move away from diesel or CNG and recommend a petrol SUV instead. In that case, the Skoda Kylaq Petrol Automatic would be an excellent choice. It offers a refined turbo-petrol engine, a smooth torque-converter automatic, excellent driving manners and is well suited to lower annual running.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Hyundai Venue

Skoda Kylaq

autocar.india

•2h

Without knowing your annual running, it's difficult to recommend the ideal fuel type. However, for a mix of 50% city driving, 50% open roads and occasional trips to the hills, we'd lean towards a strong hybrid or a refined petrol automatic.Our top recommendation would be the Maruti Suzuki Victoris Hybrid. It fits within your ₹20-25 lakh budget, offers excellent fuel efficiency in city traffic, is smooth and refined to drive, and remains comfortable on long highway journeys. It also has a 5-star Bharat NCAP safety rating, making it a very well-rounded family SUV.If you'd rather have a conventional petrol SUV, we'd recommend the Kia Seltos Petrol IVT. It offers a refined naturally aspirated petrol engine, a smooth IVT automatic, a premium cabin and a comfortable ride. It is equally at ease in city traffic, on the highway and during occasional hill drives.If you enjoy driving and don't mind slightly higher running costs, the Skoda Kushaq 1.0 TSI Automatic is another excellent option. Its new 8-speed torque-converter automatic is smooth in traffic, while the turbo-petrol engine performs well on highways and in the hills.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Kia Seltos

Skoda Kushaq

autocar.india

•4h

Unfortunately, there are no new automatic cars that are not AMTs in that price range, and the closest you will get are the Honda Amaze or Hyundai i20, both of which use CVTs and cost around Rs 10 lakh on road. If the budget can be stretched to that much, they are both excellent options, albeit capped at low to medium variants because of your budget.Look at the same two cars; a pre-owned example and a 3-4-year-old one should fall within your budget. The CVTs' smooth shifts will make Bangalore’s bumper-to-bumper traffic a breeze, and you’ll find clean, low-mileage cars within Rs 8 lakh. They are both compact to park, with light controls, and service is not pricey, which helps a first-time owner.If he prefers a small SUV shape, look at a Nissan Magnite automatic or Renault Kiger turbo-petrol automatic. Both use a smooth auto, ride well on bad roads, and have good ground clearance for speed breakers. If you're willing to look at 5-year-old-plus cars that are in good condition, you could even get a midsize SUV or sedan. Whichever you pick, insist on full service records, get an independent inspection, and budget a little for fresh tyres and fluids so the first year is headache-free.

Honda Amaze

Hyundai i20

Nissan Magnite

Renault Kiger