I have shortlisted the Sierra EV RWD and the XEV 9e, both in their top variants. My usage is mostly city driving, around 50 km a day on weekdays. Most of the time, I have a driver and sit in the rear seat, while on weekends, I drive the car myself around the city. My family consists of me, my wife, and two children aged 16 and 11. Which one would you recommend?

autocar.india

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The Mahindra XEV 9S Pack Two Above 79kWh is the stronger choice from a customer ownership perspective. Both are impressive electric cars, but Mahindra currently has an edge in powertrain maturity, charging performance and, importantly, the ownership feedback emerging from early customers and enthusiast forums.From an ownership perspective, both Tata and Mahindra have improved significantly, but public discussions continue to highlight more consistent showroom and service experiences with Mahindra. Tata's service quality remains more dependent on the individual dealership, and there are still recurring reports of inconsistent quality control and after-sales support. Mahindra is not flawless either, but early XEV owners have generally reported greater satisfaction with the buying and ownership experience.

Mahindra XEV 9S

autocar.india

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Unfortunately, there are very few EVs that will give you a real-world range of 600km - even though their official rating says so - and fewer still with a 7-seat layout. The only one that fits the bill is the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, whose price is around Rs 1.5 crore. If that fits your budget, then go for it, as it is one of the best luxury EVs you can buy in India today. The other three-row EVs lower down are the Tesla Model Y L (6 seater) and the Mahindra XEV 9S (6/7 seater). Both have official ratings of over 650km, but the real-world range is likely to be more in the region of 500km. In our real-world range test, the XEV 9S with the largest (79kWh) battery pack returned 477km overall, and while we haven't range tested the Model Y L, previous Tesla models have proven quite efficient. If your budget can accommodate the Tesla at around Rs 65 lakh, you should get it. If not, the Mahindra at around Rs 22-32 lakh should be adequate.

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV

Tesla Model Y

Mahindra XEV 9S

autocar.india

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An ideal upgrade from your Santro is the Hyundai i20 IVT, which is powered by a refined 1.2-litre petrol engine that's mated to a smooth and seamless automatic transmission. This Hyundai car is spacious, feature-rich and feels like a huge step up over your outgoing car. And it will easily fit your Rs 10-12 lakh budget.However, since you've mentioned that you want a car of a similar size to the Santro, we'd advise you to opt for the Grand i10 Nios instead. It is more compact in size than an i20, which makes it easier to drive and manage. It is powered by the same engine as the i20, although it's mated to an AMT, which gets you the convenience of an automatic, but is not as smooth as the i20's transmission. Also, the Grand i10 is much more affordable than the i20, and even though it has fewer features, it has almost all the features that you'd use daily.In summary, the Nios is a sophisticated, compact replacement for the Santro that'll cost you between Rs 8-9.5 lakhs, but if you're looking to upgrade, then the i20 IVT is the one to go for, that's priced between Rs 10-12 lakh (on-road).

Hyundai i20

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios