Kohima

•17h

I am looking for a car within 10 lakh (on-road budget) for my wife's daily commute in Kochi. I need a car with good road visibility, ease of handling and decent fuel efficiency. The car may be used for occasional highway commutes of around 100-150 km. A petrol engine seems like the right choice but I am a bit concerned whether the current models are E20 compliant. Do you think an EV would make any sense? If so, please recommend.

•1h

All new cars are engineered to handle E20 fuel, so there is no need to worry there, and you can go ahead with buying a new petrol car. The impact is limited to a slight drop in fuel efficiency compared to E10 petrol, but that will be the case with any car. Component wear and tear, meanwhile, is not a concern as it could be with pre-2023 vehicles that are not engineered to take E20 petrol.

For your wife's daily commute in Kochi, with good visibility, ease of handling and mileage as priorities, the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is the best fit. It is compact, easy to drive in the city thanks to its light controls, offers excellent visibility and has a smooth fuel-efficient petrol engine. It is also reliable and inexpensive to maintain, which makes it a stress-free ownership proposition.

If you want a higher seating position and SUV-like visibility, the Hyundai Exter is a good alternative. It offers a slightly higher driving position and better road visibility while still being easy to drive and fuel-efficient, albeit not as good value for money as the Grand i10 Nios. The Maruti Suzuki Swift is another option that's even more fuel efficient, but visibility is not as good as in the Hyundai's.

While an EV makes sense for the city component of your wife's usage, you must make sure home charging is possible at your residence first. However, the bigger issue is that at your budget of Rs. 10 lakh, none of the available EVs can comfortably do a long highway trip without some amount of range anxiety or reliance on the public charging network. If you're willing to take that risk, then EVs like the Tata Tiago EV are a good bet, but if not, then the Hyundai Nios or Exter are better bets for your wife.

Explore cars mentioned

Hyundai

Exter

from ₹6.36 Lakh

Maruti Suzuki

Swift

from ₹6.40 Lakh

Tata

Tiago EV

from ₹7.31 Lakh

Hyundai

Grand i10 Nios

from ₹6.13 Lakh

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•1d

Hi, I want to buy a car under a budget of Rs. 4 lakh. Should I go for pre-owned car or increase my budget to get a new one after some time? In case of pre owned car, which car should I buy? My monthly running is around 800 km mostly in city areas.

•1d

With a budget of Rs. 4 lakh and 800 km a month of mostly city driving, a well-chosen pre-owned car is the smarter move. Look for a 3-5 year old Maruti Suzuki Swift, Wagon R or Celerio in good condition. These cars are reliable, easy to drive in the city, cheap to maintain and have excellent service reach. If you want something a bit more premium, a well-kept Honda Amaze or Hyundai Grand i10 is also worth considering. The key is to buy from a trusted source, check service history and get the car inspected. With your running, a petrol car makes the most sense. If you can stretch your budget by Rs 1-2 lakh, you could consider a new Maruti Alto K10 or Renault Kwid, but at Rs. 4 lakh, a good used car will give you a far better ownership experience.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio

Maruti Suzuki Wagon R

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Renault Kwid

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10

Honda Amaze

•3d

Hi, I am planning to buy a car but am confused between the Tata Tiago CNG and the Swift CNG.

•2d

Between the two, the Tiago iCNG makes more sense if the priority is keeping running costs low. It uses twin CNG cylinders mounted under the boot floor, so unlike the Swift CNG, it does not sacrifice as much usable boot space. It also has a slightly more powerful CNG engine and, importantly, is the only one of the two available with an AMT on CNG.The Swift CNG has the advantage in cabin space and overall refinement. It is 50mm longer in wheelbase and 51mm wider, so there is more room inside, and the 1.2-litre engine is smooth enough for everyday use. However, the Swift CNG is manual only and uses a single CNG cylinder, which takes up more of the boot area.The Tiago is also the more affordable option, with CNG prices starting significantly below the Swift.

Tata Tiago

Maruti Suzuki Swift

•3h

Wheel size should be same for all variants. Flexi fuel hybrid should be priced above GXO and certainly not above vxo.

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•6d

Hi, I’m confused between the Skoda Kylaq and Tata Punch EV and would like some advice on which one to buy. The car will primarily be used for city driving, with occasional highway trips. The budget is Rs 10-14 lakh on-road. I previously owned a Volkswagen Polo GT TDI, so I’m looking for a car that can offer a similar level of driving satisfaction while also being practical for everyday use. I’m currently confused between these two options and would appreciate some guidance.

•6d

Go for the Skoda Kylaq 1.0 TSI. With your budget of Rs 10-14 lakh, mostly city usage and occasional highway runs, the Kylaq is the better fit. It offers a familiar driving experience coming from a Polo GT TDI, with a punchy turbo petrol engine, solid build quality and a sorted ride and handling balance. The Tata Punch EV is a good city car, but the Kylaq is more versatile for occasional highway trips and long-term ownership. The Kylaq also offers better rear seat space and a more premium feel overall. The Punch EV makes sense only if your usage is almost entirely city-based and you have reliable home charging. Given your budget and usage pattern, the Kylaq is the more balanced and sensible choice.

Skoda Kylaq

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•1w

I currently drive a Hyundai i10 CNG, with daily running of around 6 km in Gurgaon city traffic and a monthly highway drive of around 200 km. I am now planning to upgrade my car, with an on-road budget of Rs. 12 lakh for a petrol sub-4-metre SUV, up to Rs. 14 lakh for a petrol midsize SUV, and Rs. 15 lakh for an EV. I live in a rented apartment on the second floor, so I am apprehensive about getting an EV. I prefer an EV, but installing a charger could be complicated due to the sanctioned load. My running could increase to nearly 800 km per month in the future. My key priorities are: - Good suspension and ride comfort, as I have a back problem - Decent fuel efficiency in heavy city traffic - Low to medium maintenance costs - Auto hold and ventilated seats would be good to have I sometimes consider buying a manual, but I mostly prefer an automatic. I am currently considering the Maruti Brezza, Baleno AMT, Fronx AMT/AT, Sonet iMT, Exter AMT, and even the upcoming Inster, VF3, and Bayon. I am open to other suggestions as well. Note: I had a bad driving experience with the Punch AMT, as it caused back fatigue.

•6d

Given your priorities of ride comfort, fuel efficiency and low maintenance, the Maruti Brezza automatic is the most sensible upgrade. It offers a comfortable ride, a proven naturally aspirated petrol engine and Maruti's strong service network, which keeps long-term ownership costs in check. The torque converter automatic is smooth in city traffic, and the Brezza's higher seating position will help with your back issues. The Sonet iMT is not the right choice here. While it is a good car, the iMT is not a true automatic and will not offer the same ease of use in Gurgaon traffic. The Baleno AMT and Exter AMT are also not ideal given your back issues and the fact that AMT gearboxes are not as smooth as torque converter automatics in stop-start conditions.On the EV front, your apprehension about charging is valid. Without a straightforward home charging solution, an EV will add unnecessary complexity to your ownership experience. The upcoming Bayon is interesting and if you can wait a few weeks you would have a better picture before making a decision. For now, the Brezza automatic strikes the best balance between comfort, efficiency and hassle-free ownership.

Hi, I want to buy my last car as I am 66 years old. I have been driving a Honda City for the last 12 years without any major hiccup. The Honda City engine and its reliability is excellent although its ground clearance is an issue. I have looked at Elevate and given its ground clearance as an SUV, I am impressed although the issues on E20 and abrupt blending issues are surely technical issues. Windsor EV was a great test drive but all controls on screen could be a bottleneck for me at my age and am planning to move to an automatic. Please recommend as experts. My monthly running will not be more than 500 km. Should I also look at Seltos. I will appreciate a feedback from experts. I want a reliable, easy to drive car with low maintenance cost and good family value with. There won't be any great pick ups or many highway drives will not be there.

•4d

Given your 12 years of trouble free City ownership, the Elevate is the most natural replacement. It retains Honda’s simple 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, adds substantially better ground clearance and gives you the easier ingress and SUV driving position you liked. The CVT is also very well suited to your low speed, low running usage and should make the transition to an automatic easy.On your E20 concern, we would not treat it as a reason to avoid the Elevate. Honda says all its cars manufactured in India since January 2009 are E20 material compatible, and the current Elevate is officially certified for E20. Honda also says E20 should not cause durability concerns or require any component changes. There can be a marginal reduction in fuel economy because ethanol contains less energy than petrol, but with your 500km monthly running, that is unlikely to be significant.The Seltos is worth a look, particularly if you want a more feature rich and premium cabin, but given your priorities of reliability, easy driving, low maintenance and long term ownership, the Elevate fits your requirements more naturally. The Windsor EV is also an interesting option, but at just 500km a month, there is little financial reason to move to an EV, especially when you have concerns about its touchscreen heavy interface.

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