Mumbai

Karunakar Reddy

•8w

I am planning to buy a new Tata car for weekly family use. My requirement is a 5-seater within a budget of ₹12-14 lakh. Should I choose the Tata Nexon EV or the petrol version?

Autocar India

•7w

The decision between a petrol or electric car really comes down to your personal situation.

If you are looking to buy an EV, then you must have your own charging facility, as relying fully on public chargers is not convenient at all. Another factor to consider is your driving distance. As you said, it's for weekly drives with your family. We assume you mean out-of-city drives.

If these drives are about 100 to 150km in total distance, then you should be fine with going electric, as within your budget, you would get the smaller battery pack Tata Nexon, which should offer you a real-world range of about 200-220km. Though bear in mind that if the drives involve a lot of hilly terrains, this range can drop further still. Thus, if your drives are longer, you would need to charge, in which case a petrol Nexon would make better sense.

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More questions on similar cars

Arunraj

•2d

My budget is around Rs. 15 lakh, and my usage will be approximately 80% city driving and 20% highway driving. I expect to drive less than 1,000 km per month. Given this usage pattern, would choosing a DCT be a good or bad option in the long run? Alternatively, is Tata's wet-clutch DCA a better choice? Torque converter options seem quite limited within my budget. I have considered the following options, but each comes with certain concerns: Skoda Kylaq - I am unsure about its long-term reliability and maintenance. Maruti Suzuki Brezza - Feels somewhat outdated. Maruti Suzuki Fronx - Does not seem to offer enough value for the price. Mahindra XUV 3XO - Concerned about dealer and service support. Hyundai Venue and Tata Nexon - Both seem like good options, but I am concerned about long-term gearbox wear and tear. Based on my usage and priorities, which vehicle would you recommend?

Autocar India

•2d

Pick the Mahindra XUV 3XO MPFi petrol automatic. Its torque-converter automatic gearbox is the most robust for your mostly city use with smooth crawling and far lower risk of costly clutch wear than a dual-clutch. While efficiency will not be as high as others like the Nexon or Brezza, your low 1,000 km a month should not make this too much of a worry and on the whole it stays well within your budget. Mahindra service can vary from dealer to dealer, so do check your local dealer options.If your Mahindra dealer is really weak, between the others, you could wait a for just about two months when the new updated Maruti Brezza is due to arrive. It too has a torque convertor autobox and its low ride is very plush and really a boon to have over bad city roads.

Poonam Jeswani

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

•11h

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

•14h

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

•4d

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

Kia Carens Clavis EV

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

•3d

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: 12 Apr 2026