Delhi

•43w

I’m looking to buy a new or used car with a monthly running of about 2,000 km (mostly city with a few Mumbai-Pune trips). The car will be mostly chauffeur-driven, so rear-seat comfort and smooth low-speed performance are important. Daily use will be for 2-3 passengers, but I need occasional seating for six. I prefer Hybrid, Diesel, or Electric. My priorities are comfort, reliability, low running costs, and strong service support. My budget is around 25 lakh. Please suggest 3-5 options and include used choices if suitable.

•42w

With your extensive usage, we cannot recommend an EV, as you would have to charge it frequently, and that is not good for battery health. In your budget of Rs 25 lakh, there aren't any 6-seater hybrids, either; your only option there is to move up to the Rs 30-lakh-plus Toyota Innova Hycross or Maruti Suzuki Invicto - both of which are excellent choices.

In your budget, the best option is the Kia Carens Clavis diesel. It's well equipped, comfortable and surprisingly spacious for its size. Plus, there are both six and seven-seat versions, so you can choose which configuration suits you best.

Explore cars mentioned

Maruti Suzuki

Invicto

from ₹29.10 Lakh

Toyota

Innova HyCross

from ₹21.70 Lakh

Kia

Carens Clavis

from ₹13.22 Lakh

More posts on similar cars

•4d

I’m quite confused about my next car upgrade and would really appreciate some advice from people who have experience travelling with large families and pets. We are a family of six: my wife, our child, my parents, our dog and me. Until now, I’ve been using a Tata Punch, which has served us reasonably well. However, with our little baby, things have become considerably more complicated. A five-seater no longer seems practical, especially when we travel with luggage and our dog. My usage is a mix of daily commuting (around 20 km a day) and family road trips. We usually undertake 3-4 long trips a year with approx 3-4k kms round trip. I’ve been considering three options: 1. Tata Sierra The idea here is to use all five seats for the family and create a padded, bed-like platform in the boot for our dog. I could use the space underneath the platform for luggage. The ROX edition’s roof carrier is another interesting option, although I’m unsure about the legal restrictions on roof-mounted luggage carriers and whether they could attract challans in states such as Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. 2. Tata Safari The Safari offers the advantage of a third row. I’m wondering whether I could fold down half of the third row to accommodate luggage while keeping the other half for my dog. I’d probably need to install some sort of secure partition or cage to prevent luggage from shifting onto the dog or flying forward during sudden braking. However, I’m not sure how practical or safe this arrangement would be. 3. Toyota Innova Hycross (GXO) Given that my daily commute is relatively short, I’m not convinced that the hybrid’s additional cost would be justified by fuel savings alone. However, the Hycross’s cabin and luggage space are appealing. I’m wondering whether the third-row floor and boot could be configured to create a sufficiently large, flat and comfortable space for my dog while still accommodating our luggage. At this stage, these are just ideas, and I’m not sure how practical any of them would be in real-world conditions. I’d particularly appreciate advice from people who travel with their dogs, especially on long road trips. How do you manage luggage, ensure your pet’s safety and keep the cabin comfortable for everyone? Are there any other vehicles or practical modifications I should consider? One important consideration is that our baby is still very small, so we don’t have any major trips planned in the immediate future. I’m perfectly happy to postpone our next big road trip for a year or so. Consequently, I’m in no hurry to buy a car and am open to waiting for upcoming launches if something more suitable is on the horizon. I’d love to hear about your actual experiences, particularly with pet-friendly car setups, rather than just theoretical suggestions. Any advice on the choice of vehicle, safe modifications or alternative configurations would be greatly appreciated.

•16h

Given your family size, the presence of a baby and a dog, and your mix of daily commuting and long road trips, the Toyota Innova Hycross GXO is the most practical and sensible upgrade. The Hycross offers a genuinely spacious and flexible cabin, a flat and usable boot area and a proven reputation for reliability and long-term ownership. The third row can be folded flat to create a large, comfortable space for your dog, while the remaining boot area can accommodate luggage. The hybrid premium is not justified with your usage, so you will be better off with the standard petrol powertrain.The Tata Sierra is a good option if you want a more premium and stylish SUV experience, but it is ultimately a five-seater with a boot. Creating a raised platform for the dog is possible, but it compromises luggage space and safety on long trips. The Tata Safari offers a third row, but the Hycross offers more room with the seats up or stowed.On the pet side, the key is to use a proper harness or crate for the dog, ensure good ventilation and avoid loose luggage in the cabin. The Hycross's flat boot and fold-flat third row make it easy to create a safe and comfortable space for your dog without compromising family comfort.Overall, the Hycross GXO is the most practical and family-friendly solution for your needs.

Toyota Innova HyCross

Tata Sierra

Tata Safari

•4d

Hello, this is Dilip. I’m planning to buy my first car for myself and my parents. I’m 30 years old and am looking for a car under Rs. 20 lakh, preferably with a manual transmission, that offers excellent long-term reliability, low maintenance and ownership costs as well as good safety and build quality. I need a car comfortable for my parents and family with a good driving experience in both city traffic and highways. It should offer good mileage and overall practicality. Suggest me a car that I can confidently keep for 8-10 years. Please suggest the best options based on these requirements and explain both pros and cons of each car.

•19h

Go for the Honda Elevate manual. It is the most sensible choice for your requirements. Honda’s naturally aspirated petrol engine is proven, reliable and efficient, and the manual gearbox is smooth and easy to use in both city traffic and on highways. The Elevate is also comfortable for family use, with a spacious cabin and a well-balanced ride, and Honda’s ownership experience is among the best in the segment. It is a car you can confidently keep for 8-10 years without worrying about major reliability or maintenance issues.If you want a slightly more premium feel and a bit more space, the Kia Seltos petrol manual is a good alternative. It offers a more feature-rich cabin and a more premium overall experience, but it is also more expensive and does not offer a significant reliability advantage over the Elevate. Alternatively, consider the Maruti Suzuki Victoris petrol manual. Its powertrain is smooth and efficient and Maruti’s service network is unmatched. Overall, the Honda Elevate manual strikes the best balance between reliability, comfort, safety, driving experience and long-term ownership confidence.

Honda Elevate

Kia Seltos

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

•3d

I am planning to buy a new car under a budget of around Rs. 11.5-12.5 lakh (on-road). It will be mostly used for city driving, with a few highway trips. My main requirements are automatic transmission. good safety rating, good quality interior, low maintenance costs, good driving performance and offers fun-to-drive experience. Please suggest 4-5 good cars in this price range that would suit my requirements.

•20h

Based on your requirements, the Mahindra XUV 3XO automatic would be our first recommendation. It is one of the most spacious compact SUVs in the segment, has a strong safety record, a wide cabin that makes it a genuinely comfortable five-seater, and the turbo petrol engine paired with the torque converter automatic delivers good performance and a fun-to-drive experience. It also offers a well-equipped interior and Mahindra's service network is strong, keeping maintenance costs reasonable.The Skoda Kylaq automatic would be our second recommendation. It is the most driver-focused car in this price range, with a strong turbo petrol engine and a well-tuned chassis that makes it genuinely enjoyable to drive. The torque converter automatic is smooth and reliable, and the Kylaq offers good safety credentials and a solid build quality. The only drawback is that the rear seat is not as spacious as the 3XO.The Maruti Suzuki Brezza automatic is the sensible choice. It is reliable, has low maintenance costs, a comfortable ride and a good safety record. The naturally aspirated petrol engine paired with the torque converter automatic is smooth and easy to live with, making it an excellent city car. It may not be as exciting to drive as the 3XO or Kylaq, but it is a very dependable ownership proposition.The Tata Nexon automatic is also worth considering. It has a strong safety record, a comfortable ride and a feature-rich interior. The turbo petrol engine paired with the DCA automatic offers good performance, but the gearbox can feel a bit hesitant at times in stop-start traffic.Overall, the XUV 3XO automatic strikes the best balance between safety, performance, interior quality and ownership costs. The Kylaq is the enthusiast's choice, while the Brezza is the most sensible long-term option.

View all Posts

Has E20 fuel affected your mileage?

Is ADAS worth paying extra for in a car?

Popular discussions right now

•2d

Hi Autocar Team, I am confused between the XUV 7XO AX7T diesel manual and automatic. My current ride is a Fluidic Verna diesel manual, which is nearing 15 years of ownership and has clocked nearly 2.5 lakh km. My usage consists of mixed city and highway driving, with around 40km daily and weekend highway runs of about 400km. For long-term ownership, which would be the better choice: the manual or automatic?

•2d

Go for the XUV 7XO AX7T diesel automatic. The diesel engine is well suited to your high running, and the automatic gearbox is a proven torque converter unit that is reliable and well matched to the engine. This Mahindra car will make your daily city driving far less tiring, while still being smooth and efficient on the highway. Coming from a 15-year-old Hyundai Verna diesel manual, the automatic will feel like a significant upgrade in terms of comfort and ease of use, without compromising on long-term reliability. The manual is still a good option if you strongly prefer the engagement, but for your usage and ownership horizon, the automatic is the smarter choice.

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Hyundai Verna

•4d

I am confused between Creta SX IVT and Elevate CVT for 8000 km of annual running with long trips of 1200 km 3-4 times in a year for a family of 4. Apart from this, day to day usage is less than 100km per month. I am looking for a car for long term ownership and travel comfort.

•4d

The Creta SX IVT is the better fit for your requirement. It offers a quieter, more refined cabin, comfortable rear seats and a smoother CVT, which are particularly valuable when spending several hours on the highway with four people and luggage. Autocar's long term experience with the Creta petrol IVT also found it refined, comfortable and particularly well suited to road trips.The Honda Elevate CVT has advantages of its own. Its 220mm ground clearance, long travel suspension and large 458-litre boot make it particularly good on poor roads, while its naturally aspirated 1.5-litre engine and CVT make for a relatively simple powertrain. However, the cabin is noticeably noisier, particularly when accelerating hard, and the CVT can produce the typical rubber band effect.

Honda Elevate

Hyundai Creta

•4d

I have a budget of Rs. 16 lakh and I am getting Victoris ZXI AT and Creta S (O) iVT automatic in petrol. My monthly running is around 1000 km. Please suggest as this will be my first car.

•4d

Go for the Maruti Suzuki Victoris ZXI automatic. It is a well-rounded SUV with a reliable naturally aspirated petrol engine, a smooth automatic gearbox and Maruti's extensive service network, which makes ownership stress free. The Creta S Optional IVT is a good car, but at this price point you are getting a lower variant with fewer features, whereas the Victoris ZXI is a higher trim with a better overall value proposition. The Victoris also offers a comfortable ride, good fuel efficiency and a hassle-free ownership experience, which is exactly what you want from your first car.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Hyundai Creta

View all Posts

Upcoming launch buzz

Community discussions on upcoming launches