Mumbai
Mumbai
GA
Gaurav
•1dHi Autocar, I am planning to buy a compact SUV in the budget of ₹8-12 lakh. My preferences are a fuel-efficient and safe car.
Autocar India
Pick the Tata Nexon as it directly matches your two priorities. Safety first: the Nexon is well-equipped with many safety features, and it has also secured a 5‑star crash safety rating in both the GNCAP and BNCAP tests. As for efficiency, if you drive a lot, about 1500km a month, you can opt for the diesel. If not, the 1.2 petrol will be fine and deliver decent mileage. The ARAI claimed figure is around 17 kpl, and with a light foot in the city, you can expect roughly 11-13 kpl.
The Nexon also sits neatly within your budget, and you could get a fairly well-equipped version too. What's more is that the Nexon has been on sale for about a decade now and Tata Motors has made many functional as well as reliability improvements, and newer Nexon have been known to be quite reliable.
Tata Nexon
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Posted on: 20 Mar 2026
