Mumbai

Kushagra

•6w

I am planning to buy the 2026 Kia Carens. My usage includes six days of city driving (about 100 km total), one day of highway driving (around 150 km), and a 500-800 km trip once every three months. However, I am confused because the showroom person himself is suggesting buying the petrol version due to DPF concerns. I currently own a 2017 Maruti Ciaz diesel and have driven 2.5 lakh km in 9 years. Should I go for petrol or diesel?

Autocar India

•6w

Given six days of city runs, one highway day every week and a long trip every few months, we would pick the Kia Carens diesel for you, ideally with the automatic if the budget allows. Your pattern includes regular, steady highway driving, which is exactly what a diesel’s DPF needs to stay unclogged. You are coming from a Ciaz diesel with high mileage, so the diesel’s strong pull and lower day-to-day fuel use will feel natural and easy for you when the car is full.

Here is why diesel suits your use. That weekly 150 km highway stretch gives the exhaust system enough hot, steady running to burn off soot, so the usual city-only DPF worry is much lower in your case. The 1.5 diesel also pulls well at low speeds and on inclines, so with family and luggage, it will feel calmer than the petrol. Your monthly distance is high enough that the fuel savings will add up over time.

A couple of trade-offs to keep in mind. The diesel costs more to buy and is a bit louder at idle than the petrol. If your routine changes to only short stop-start hops with no weekly highway, you may need to do an extra 20-30-minute steady-speed drive to keep the DPF happy. If a DPF light shows, keep driving a bit until it clears rather than switching off.

If you still want zero DPF worry, the petrol is the safer bet. The standard petrol is smooth and easy in the city; the turbo petrol feels stronger but can use more fuel in heavy traffic and its twin-clutch auto can feel jerky when moving very slowly.

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More questions on similar cars

Monylal Kurup

•2d

Is auto Diesel filter regeneration a periodical procedure or after sensing the filter quality? My car is a Kia Carens.

Autocar India

•1d

It isn’t periodical - your Kia Carens triggers DPF regeneration when the ECU senses the filter is filling with soot. It uses sensors and driving data to estimate soot load, then does passive regen on its own during steady highway runs, and active regen when needed by raising exhaust temperature to burn the soot.If your use is mostly short, stop‑start city trips, the car can’t keep exhaust temps up, so active regens will happen more often, and sometimes you’ll see a DPF message asking you to keep driving. When that pops up, a 15‑20 minute run at about 60 km/h with gentle revs usually completes it. If you ignore or keep shutting the car mid‑cycle, the warning can escalate, and you may need the parked/manual regen from the cluster menu, or a workshop reset.You’ll notice slightly higher fuel use, a hot smell, and a fast fan while regen runs. That’s normal. It is not tied to a fixed mileage or time; it’s entirely based on soot loading and your driving pattern.

Kia Carens

Poonam Jeswani

•2d

I want to buy an automatic car with a CVT gearbox and a 5-star safety rating, with a budget of under Rs. 12 lakh. Please suggest suitable options.

Autocar India

•7h

Since you want a CVT automatic, with a tested 5-star crash rating, and a price of under Rs. 12 lakh, your only option is the Honda Amaze. The Amaze comes with a smooth CVT gearbox mated to its peppy 1.2-litre petrol engine, it has a 5-star rating for adult occupant protection and 4-stars for child occupant protection from Bharat NCAP and the top-spec Amaze ZX CVT costs under Rs 12 lakh on-road. The sedan also has a comfy and spacious cabin and it comes well-equipped with features.

Honda Amaze

Shivakumar Chintala

•1d

Planning to buy my first car. Should we wait until flex fuel cars are released into the market, or should I go ahead and buy the Honda E20-compliant or the Mahindra? Or any other suggestions at this point? Given the messy situation of petrol and possibly diesel as well in the near future. What should be done?

Autocar India

•10h

Flex fuel vehicles, as well as the fuel itself, will arrive for sure, but it's anybody's guess by when the authorities and manufacturers will make this happen. When it does arrive, there is also the matter of pricing. While the Government has indicated that E85 fuel would be cheaper, the car would return a lower efficiency. Plus, buying it would also come at a premium, so you need to see how this price equation works out. There's also the matter of choice. Thus, be prepared to wait for a while and for the situation to unravel in a phased manner. If you would rather not wait, you can go ahead with an E20 purchase today, as when E85 fuel does arrive, the Government will have to provide a lower ethanol blend fuel too for existing cars. This blend should stay at 20 percent or might go upto 25%, at which level current E20 cars should not face material compliance issues but would see a drop in efficiency.If you would like to side-step the entire fuel mess and have the ability to charge at home or your place of work, consider an EV. The Tata Punch EV would make for a good first car and is ideal in the city.

Tata Punch EV

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Popular discussions right now

Balaji

•4d

I am looking to buy a 6/7-seater EV. My primary usage will be as a 4-seater, with occasional 6-seater use. I will mainly drive it in the city for my daily office commute and undertake long-distance trips of around 500 km once every two months. I have a solar setup at home and can charge the vehicle comfortably. My budget is Rs 30-40 lakh, although I can stretch it slightly if required.

Autocar India

•3d

You should go for the Mahindra XEV 9S. It's a proper three-row EV, and it fits your use case perfectly. With home solar charging, your running costs are very low, and the smooth, quiet drive is just right for city runs as a 4-seater. When you do need six or seven seats, the third row is reasonably spacious, and for your 500 km trip every couple of months, you’ll need just one quick top-up at a highway charger.Do note that with all three rows up, boot space is tight, so your highway trips will require some planning.Alternatively, consider the Kia Carens Clavis EV. It isn't as feature-rich and doesn't have as much range as the XEV 9S, but its third row is more comfortable for adults.

Mahindra XEV 9S

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Anshuman Mishra

•5d

I am planning to buy an automatic car for my family and am confused between the Kia Sonet and the Skoda Kylaq. Could you please advise which one would be the better choice and explain the pros and cons of each?

Autocar India

•4d

Skoda Kylaq is the better family automatic, mainly because it gives you a bit more cabin and boot space and a calmer ride over bad roads. It feels more secure at highway speeds with a full load, and its turbo engine with the automatic pulls cleanly, so hills and quick overtakes are easy even with the AC on. The petrol Kylaq automatic uses a torque convertor gearbox which is also smoother than the dual clutch unit on the Sonet so it would fare better in city traffic. Kia Sonet makes sense if you want more features and need Kia’s service reach which is wider. For weekend trips with four on board it will do the job too, but rear seat width and long-journey comfort are not its strong points and within a year it will get a major update, thus buying it now would not be ideal.

Skoda Kylaq

Kia Sonet

Sandeep

•3d

I want to buy a car under Rs 12 lakh. It should be a petrol automatic and will be my first car. I need good ground clearance, a good engine and gearbox combination for 70% city and 30% highway use, and my daily running is around 30 km in Bengaluru traffic. Comfort, space, decent fuel efficiency, ease of driving, and long-term ownership are important to me. I do not want a Fronx, Baleno, i20, Exter, Punch, or Nexon. Please suggest a value-for-money option. Thank you.

Autocar India

•2d

Given your exclusions, the Skoda Kylaq automatic would be our first recommendation. Specifically, the Signature automatic is if you can stretch slightly. The 1.0 TSI turbo petrol and torque converter automatic are a very good combination for Bangalore traffic. The gearbox is smooth, the engine has enough punch for highway overtakes, and the car feels more premium and substantial than most options in this price range. Ground clearance is good, it is easy to drive, and it has the solid feel that many first-time buyers appreciate.Another strong option is the Mahindra XUV 3XO MX2 Pro automatic. It has a wider rear seat, feels bigger inside and is one of the most spacious compact SUVs in the segment. The torque converter automatic is smooth, and it is comfortable for city use. The downside is that fuel efficiency is not that great, and the boot is on the smaller side.If you are willing to consider a sedan, the Honda Amaze CVT is also worth a look. The CVT is exceptionally smooth in traffic, reliability is excellent, and it is the kind of car you can comfortably keep for a decade. The only reason it is not our primary recommendation is that you specifically mentioned wanting good ground clearance.

Skoda Kylaq

Mahindra XUV 3XO

Honda Amaze

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Posted on: 23 Apr 2026