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Delhi
CR

Chetan Rao

4w

Which is the best automatic petrol SUV to buy today with a reasonably good average (15 km/l or more) under ₹15 lakhs?

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
4w

There are not many petrol automatic cars, at any price point, that would do upwards of 15kpl these days. Turbocharged cars, especially, require extremely careful driving to achieve high fuel efficiency numbers, and the automatic gearbox reduces these chances, as the gear shifts are not in your control. If fuel efficiency is your ultimate concern, we would recommend a good naturally aspirated petrol engine, in a small, relatively light car. The Maruti Suzuki Fronx 1.2 petrol AMT is a good option, but its automated manual gearbox is not very smooth, and its engine is not very powerful. As a trade-off, you could also try the Maruti Suzuki Brezza 1.5 petrol AT, which has more power and a smoother torque converter automatic. But will deliver slightly lower - but still very good - fuel economy.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx

Maruti Suzuki Fronx

Was this helpful? Ask a follow-up

CR

Chetan Rao

3w

Thank you for your views. It will help me.

CR

Chetan Rao

3w

Ok. Thanks

TA

Taral

3w

Surprisingly, nobody is interested in a safe vehicle. Seems like crash ratings don't matter.

RP

Rohit Pal

4w

How about performance of Nissan Magnite MT non turbo planning to buy this car please suggest

HO

HonestExpert

4w

Consider the Exter AMT, its way smoother. 15kmpl in bumper to bumper city traffic is impossible in any car. Highways, you can easily get 20kmpl+.

Latest questions in the community

YG

Yogesh Gautam Kamble

1d

I need a car for my daily commute, and my travel will be around 50-60 km every day. Most of my driving will be within the city, along with occasional highway drives on weekends. My budget should allow for an EMI of less than ₹20,000 per month. Considering my usage, should I go for a diesel or a CNG car, and which option would you recommend?

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
1h

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.

VehicleTata Nexon
VehicleMaruti Suzuki Brezza
SA

sathish

2d

I need a car within ₹10 lakh on-road in Bangalore. 80-90% city usage and 10-20% highway. It should have all the necessary features, inside and outside. It should be comfortable for my parents, with low maintenance, tension-free and reliable ownership. Occasionally, I may use it for long trips as well. This is my first car, and I am a new driver, so an automatic is better.

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
18h

We would recommend you take a look at the Maruti Suzuki Fronx. Being a Maruti car, it will meet your requirements of being low on maintenance and generally tension-free. The car is also slightly higher off the ground compared to sedans and hatchbacks at this price, and thus, this will offer an easy entry and exit for your parents. Rear seat head and legroom are also good, and for two adults, the rear is very spacious and a comfortable place to be in.The Fronx fits within the 'small car' definition as it measures less than 4-meters in length, thus it is very manageable in crowded city conditions. For your few highway trips, too, you will find the handling secure, and the car remains planted at regular highway speeds.

VehicleMaruti Suzuki Fronx
PR

Praveen

3d

I am planning to buy a petrol SUV with a budget of ₹15 lakh. My driving will be mostly in the city, and my main priorities are good mileage and strong safety. Which SUV would be the best option in this budget?

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
2h

We would recommend you look at the new upcoming Skoda Kushaq. It sits above the compact SUV segment but is still not too large and is among the smaller of the mid-size SUVs, thus it remains quite easy and manageable in the city. The Kushaq is well equipped with many standard safety features and has scored a 5-star crash rating in the GNCAP tests, thus it meets your priority of safety too. Since you are driving in the city and looking for fuel efficiency too, we would suggest the 1.0 litre engine, which will launch with an 8-speed torque convertor automatic transmission. Torque convertors are the smoothest type of automatic transmission around, which you will appreciate in the city stop-and-go traffic. Being an 8-speed (earlier was a 6-speed unit), mileage should also improve over the previous car. It returned a figure of 8.5kpl in the city, 12.4 kpl on the highway, in our standard test cycle. Stay tuned to our channel as we will be driving the car shortly.

VehicleSkoda Kushaq facelift

Posted on: 13 Feb 2026