I am going to buy my first car. I am a new learner and my daily commute is around 40km in village area road with occasional long trip that are around100-150 km during weekend. So, suggest me a 4m car with decent mileage and safety rating. My monthly running is between 1000 and 1300 km. I prefer automatic. Also what will be the budget range. I am currently earning 10 lpa in a government job and I stay at home.
For a first car and a Rs. 10 lakh annual salary, a sensible target would be around Rs. 9-11 lakh on road. Since you stay at home and have relatively low fixed expenses, you can stretch a little if required, but there is no need to spend Rs. 13-14 lakh simply because the budget allows it.
The Exter suits your usage well. It is compact and easy for a new driver to place on the road, has good visibility and ground clearance for village roads, and the AMT makes a 40km daily commute much easier. Your 1,000-1,300km monthly running also makes a petrol automatic perfectly reasonable.
The Maruti Suzuki Fronx AMT is worth considering if highway performance and mileage are more important, while the Tata Punch AMT is another option if safety and rough-road ability are higher priorities. The Exter, however, offers a good balance of ease of driving, comfort and ownership costs.

Hyundai Exter
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@deepak46 Go with Maruti Suzuki Fronx 👍
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Posted on: 22 Sept 2026
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