I am planning to buy a car for my wife, primarily for dropping off and picking up our children from school. The expected daily usage is around 40 km, and the vehicle will be used mainly within Bangalore city. We're looking for a small-sized vehicle that is easy to drive and park as well. My wife is a new driver, and we are looking for a car with an automatic transmission that is easy to drive, safe, and comfortable for city conditions. Our budget is up to ₹6,00,000 on-road. Could you please suggest which car options would suit our requirements best? We are particularly interested in reliable, budget-friendly automatic cars that are ideal for daily city use and beginner drivers. Thank you!

Autocar India

•22h

Unfortunately, you don't have too many automatic options within Rs 6 lakh (on-road). Your options are Maruti Alto, Maruti S-Presso, Renault Kwid, and thanks to some on-going discounts, you could even manage to get a Celerio VXi AMT, which is the nicest and most premium option among the ones listed.

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10

Maruti Suzuki S-Presso

Maruti Suzuki Celerio

Renault Kwid

Autocar India

•2d

We would recommend you look at the Maruti Suzuki Celerio. Refinement from the 1.0 litre engine is much better than you would expect from a three-cylinder engine, and minimal vibrations filter into the cabin. The overall performance is smooth and easy for normal everyday driving, and at low city speeds, it even feels a bit eager, and it is thus quite enjoyable to drive. In terms of safety, the car is well equipped with safety features like 6 airbags, anti-locking brakes (ABS) and electronic stability program (ESP). It also scored a three-star crash safety rating in the GNCAP test. You can get cars with a better crash rating, like the Tata Tiago, for instance, but you will not find the engine as smooth.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio

Tata Tiago

Autocar India

•2h

With your daily running of around 50-60 km, your monthly usage will easily cross 1,500 km, so choosing a fuel with low running costs makes sense. In this case, CNG is generally a better fit than diesel, especially since most of your driving is in the city.One of the better options to consider is the Tata Nexon CNG. Unlike most CNG cars, the Nexon uses a turbo-petrol engine, which means it still feels reasonably strong and comfortable even on the highway. The turbo engine produces good torque, which helps maintain performance despite running on CNG. This makes the Nexon CNG a good balance between low running costs for the city and decent highway performance for weekend drives.Another practical option is the Maruti Suzuki Brezza CNG, particularly the LXi or VXi variants. The Brezza uses a 1.5-litre engine with factory-fitted CNG. It is known for being smooth and reliable while still offering good mileage and reasonable performance.

Tata Nexon

Maruti Suzuki Brezza