Autocar India
•22w

I want to buy a sub-4 meter compact SUV. My daily travel is 110km. Should I buy EV, CNG or diesel? Which car should I buy for a budget of ₹13 lakh?

Verified
•20w
For your 110km commute, an electric car only makes sense if you can charge it at home overnight. In your budget, the Tata Punch EV with the 40kWh battery pack is a good pick and should deliver a real-world range of over 250km. This means you will likely need to charge it every two days. With the optional 7.2kW wallbox charger, you should be able to charge from 10% to 100% in around six hours.
However, if home charging is not an option, then a diesel or CNG car makes more sense. Among the available options, the new Punch CNG and the Hyundai Venue diesel stand out. The top-of-the-line Punch CNG Accomplished + S with the AMT is within your budget and comes well equipped, along with a usable boot thanks to the twin CNG tanks.
If you prefer diesel power, then the HX5 variant of the Venue diesel is within your budget. While it is not as well-equipped as the Punch, it is the physically larger vehicle with a roomier interior, and the diesel engine offers much better performance. However, if you want an automatic, you will need to stretch your budget to around Rs 14 lakh.
Test drive all of these vehicles before making your final decision.
Hyundai Venue

Hyundai Venue

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Hyundai Venue

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Tata Punch

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Tata Punch EV

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•20w

For daily commute of around 50-70km, mostly in city, budget 10-12lacs, Automatic, what would be good, Diesel or Petrol, please suggest. Confused between New Renault, Skoda, Ertiga, Triber or Magnite. Also give suggestions

•20w

Hi I have purchased a skoda kylaq and within 3000 km it get breakdown at road . It get towed to the service center and they told that the clutches were worn out. My doubt is that how it is happening,? The service center told this becz of my driving style. I never faced this issue when I drove 40000 km in i20 Hyundai. Again from the skoda service station I understood this clutches burning and breakdown in mid traffic is a common issue and happening 1 out of 10 kylaq vehicle. They replaced the clutch part for free without much argument.I just want to point out it is dangerous condition and in this column i saw recommendation of kylaq for city drives. Can you provide your views and let me know how can I come out this situation and whether the clutch failure will happen again after another few 1000 km ?

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•21h

I am 73 years old and have been drive Hyundai Grand i10 since 2014. I am thinking of replacement and require only essential features. My usage is around 5000km per year with 80% driving on highways, 15% driving on hill mostly up to Solan and 5% within Delhi locally. I prefer a 5-seater automatic-sub 4m SUV that gives a better view of traffic ahead. My budget is 12-13 lakh. I want a car through which I can enjoy the experience of driving.

Verified
•15h

Given your usage pattern of 5,000 km a year with 80% highway driving, 15% hill driving and a preference for a sub-4m SUV with a higher seating position, the Skoda Kylaq 1.0 TSI automatic is the best fit. The turbo petrol engine offers strong mid-range performance, which is particularly useful on highways and during hill climbs, while the 6-speed torque converter automatic is smooth and reliable. The Kylaq also offers a higher seating position than your Grand i10, giving you a better view of the road ahead, and it is one of the more engaging cars to drive in this segment, which aligns with your requirement for driving pleasure. It is also available within your budget of Rs 12-13 lakh. The only drawback is that the rear seat is not the most spacious in the segment, but for your usage as a 5-seater with 4 as the exception, it should be adequate. If you want a more premium cabin and slightly better rear seat space, the Hyundai Venue is a good alternative, but the Kylaq remains the better driver's car.

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•5d

Hi, I'm planning to buy a new petrol car. I recently learned to drive and have never owned or regularly driven a car before. My budget is around Rs. 12.5 lakh. I've shortlisted the Hyundai Venue HX5 Petrol DCT, but I also checked out the Kia Seltos HTE Petrol Manual and really liked its interior. Now I'm really confused about which one to buy, especially since I've heard that DCT gearboxes can have issues in heavy traffic. At the moment, my driving will mostly be on highways, with a 70:30 highway-to-city split. However, my city usage could increase in the future. One more thing I noticed during the test drives is that the Venue's manual clutch felt extremely light. The Seltos also has a light clutch, but it isn't as effortless as the Venue's. Please help me decide which one would be the better choice.

Verified
•2d

Go for the Hyundai Venue HX5 Turbo Petrol DCT. It's the best choice among your shortlisted options. Since you're a new driver, its compact dimensions will be easier to get used to, and as you mentioned, the lighter controls are a big advantage.With 70% of your driving on highways, the manual gearbox is a straightforward and dependable choice. At the same time, the clutch is light enough to remain comfortable in city traffic. Sticking with the manual also allows you to move up to the better-equipped Hyundai Venue N Line N6 Petrol MT variant within your budget.It's not that the Venue's DCT has inherent issues in traffic. Rather, it can feel jerky at crawling speeds, and it requires slightly more careful use, such as shifting to Neutral or Park when stopped for longer at traffic lights, to minimise premature wear.The Kia Seltos HTE Petrol MT gives you a larger car and a bigger engine, but being the base-spec variant, it misses out on several features. As a first-time buyer, the size may be more of a hindrance than a benefit.

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•2d

Hi! My wife is a dentist and currently drives a Dzire. Her hospital is nearby, and her average monthly running is less than 500km. We are planning a new car. We are considering the new 1.0 Brezza, the Punch EV, or even the Tiago EV because of uncertainty around petrol in the future. Our son wants a Creta or Seltos base model. I have a Hyryder base model. We are really confused about what to do.

Verified
•20h

Given your wife's usage of less than 500km a month and mostly short city runs, the Tata Punch EV is the more sensible choice here. It is a proven electric car with a compact footprint that's well-suited to the city, and the powertrain is smooth and refined. The Tiago EV is a good option too, but the Punch EV offers more space, comfort, features, range and ground clearance. And that too, for not a huge premium, and since it's in your budget, you should choose it. Plus, being an EV, running and maintenance costs are very low. Tata is the market leader in EVs, and its service stations are well geared to handle electric cars.The Brezza Turbo is a good option too, but feels unnecessary for your wife's intended usage. It's larger and not as easy to manoeuvre, and it's only available with a manual gearbox, which for short urban driving spells is not as easy as an automatic, which the EV is.It's for these same reasons the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta don't make sense here. Overall, since you have a larger car in the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, a compact EV like the Punch makes most sense. Just make sure you can have a wallbox charger installed at your home, as that is crucial to EV ownership in India.

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•3d

Hey, We are planning to buy a sub-4-metre SUV, and our main requirement is good suspension for Bengaluru’s pothole-filled roads, especially as my wife is pregnant. We have shortlisted the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Mahindra XUV 3XO, and Tata Nexon. Which one would you recommend for our requirements? I was also considering a larger SUV like the Honda Elevate, but a well-equipped variant costs around Rs. 18 lakh on-road, which is beyond my budget. Could you suggest some good options in both categories? I can stretch my budget up to around Rs. 15 lakh on-road if required.

Verified
•1d

Given your priorities, the Mahindra XUV 3XO is the best fit. It has the most comfortable ride in the segment, with a suspension that deals with broken roads and potholes better than the Brezza or Nexon. The wide rear seat and good cabin space will also make a difference for your wife and family. The Brezza is the more reliable long-term ownership proposition, but its ride is not as plush as the 3XO. The Nexon is a good all-rounder, but the 3XO has the edge on ride comfort and rear seat space.On the Honda Elevate, it is a solid, reliable SUV with a comfortable ride, but at Rs 18 lakh on-road for the well-equipped variants, it is not worth stretching your budget for. The 3XO gives you a better ride and more features for less money.Overall, the 3XO is the best balance of ride comfort, space and value for your requirements. Go for the petrol automatic variant for the smoothest city driving experience.

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•1w

I want to buy my first car, and I have a strict budget of Rs 10 lakh. I will not use the car on a daily basis; I will drive it occasionally, and I live in Kolkata.

Verified
•6d

For a car under 10 lakh budget and occasional use, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno makes sense. It is a genuinely spacious hatchback with a comfortable ride. It's easy to drive in the city and has a proven ownership record. The naturally aspirated petrol engine is smooth and reliable, and Maruti’s service network in Kolkata is excellent, which keeps long-term running costs low.For occasional use, you want a car that is easy to live with, dependable and does not demand much attention, and the Baleno fits that brief perfectly. It also offers a good balance of features and practicality within your budget.If you prefer a slightly higher seating position, the Maruti Suzuki Fronx is worth considering.

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•2d

I need to buy a new car. Please suggest one. My driving is 80% city use.

Verified
•21h

Since you're already using a Hyundai i20, and you want a car in the 15-20 lakh price range, you could consider a Hyundai Verna 1.5 petrol IVT. It is a smooth, easy-to-drive and feature-packed sedan. If you want to look for a vehicle outside the Hyundai brand, you could consider a Kia Seltos 1.5 IVT for a similar ownership experience.

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Posted on: 18 Mar 2026