Please suggest I want to buy 8 lakhs budget car ?

Autocar India

•1d

Stay with the Kia Seltos HTX IVT. Given you enjoy the Swift for its light clutch and ease of driving in city traffic, a big SUV, the Harrier or Safari, will feel cumbersome to drive. Their pedal effort and travel are noticeably more than a Swift's, the bite point sits higher, and the gearing needs more throttle to get moving, so crawling stop‑start is not as easy. Add their size and width, and you will work harder in tight lanes and parking.The Seltos is the easier daily driver. It's smooth, automatic takes the pain out of commutes, the steering is lighter, and the car’s smaller footprint is friendlier in crowded cities. You still get more than enough space and a more mature ride than a hatchback. The downside is that the IVT will not feel as engaging as a manual, but for mostly city use, it is the more sensible and stress‑free choice.If you really want a manual, you could look at the Seltos manual instead of switching to the Tata twins. It retains the light controls you’re used to and doesn't feel ungainly around town.

Kia Seltos

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Tata Harrier

Tata Safari

Autocar India

•2d

Among the electric options, shortlist the Tata Punch EV. As an automatic, any EV will be far smoother than any comparable ICE vehicle. In the mid variants you get a rear camera with guidelines. And being a high-riding car, getting in and out is easy. The Punch EV is also comfy to seat four. From the ICE options, choose the Maruti Baleno AMT. It has the roomiest back seat, so space for four adults is better (than even the Punch EV), and its ride comfort is also nicer than the Swift or i10. Higher trims add the rear camera with guidelines, so just pick the one that fits your budget. Keep in mind that while the AMT gets you the convenience of an automatic, it will not feel as smooth or seamless as the EV.In summary, if you can arrange for home charging, pick the Punch EV. Else, the Baleno AMT is a good buy.

Tata Punch EV

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Autocar India

•7h

Go for petrol. With 250 km a month in bumper-to-bumper, a modern diesel’s exhaust filter hates short, cold runs and can clog, forcing frequent regeneration and workshop visits. You also won’t recover the higher diesel price and upkeep with such low running, and your handful of 500 km trips a year don’t justify it.About E30, you can buy a new petrol car which are today E20-ready and the move to higher ethanol blends would be to E30 or even likely a lower blend like E27. An E20 car will most likely not face material compatibility issues as most manufacturers say that they have factored in material compliance at slightly higher ethanol levels given that, that is the case internationally. However, expect a small drop in mileage and performance versus E20 because of ethanol’s lower energy and the fact that your cars ECU has been calibrated with E20 in mind. If you want to avoid ethanol questions entirely, an EV also fits your low daily use and given that most of your driving is in bumper to bumper traffic, an EV would be ideal given its smooth and easy to drive experience. For your 500 kms long trip though, you will need at least one halt to charge.