Autocar India
Posted inEVs & Hybrids
•12w

Now, this time I am planning to buy an EV. Please suggest the best option up to the 12 Lakh range.

91
Verified
•12w

Go for the Tata Punch EV; at Rs 12 lakh, it is the most complete first EV you can buy. It fits your budget even with the larger battery, so you get a real 300-plus km range in normal city use and the comfort of fast charging for the odd long day. It is a proper 5‑door subcompact SUV with space for a family and a decent boot, so it feels like a normal car, just quieter and far cheaper to run.

If you want something cheaper, there's also the Tata Tiago EV, but your money goes a lot further with the Punch as you get better ground clearance, more features, and crucially a larger battery. 

Do note, with all EVs, long highway trips still need planning and patience at chargers, and it's best to make sure you can install a charger at home. But for a first EV on a Rs 12 lakh budget, nothing else balances range, practicality and ease of ownership this well.

•12w•

Mahindra 3xo a good competitor of TATA PUNCH & TATA NEXON. Please suggest which One is better option

•12w•

Recommend me a small ev. This will be my second car primarily for office commute which iant very far

•12w•

Please suggest me the best SUV electric car within 10 lakhs budget and with proper mileage.

More posts on similar cars

•3d

I am looking for a car within 10 lakh (on-road budget) for my wife's daily commute in Kochi. I need a car with good road visibility, ease of handling and decent fuel efficiency. The car may be used for occasional highway commutes of around 100-150 km. A petrol engine seems like the right choice but I am a bit concerned whether the current models are E20 compliant. Do you think an EV would make any sense? If so, please recommend.

1.3k
Verified
•2d

All new cars are engineered to handle E20 fuel, so there is no need to worry there, and you can go ahead with buying a new petrol car. The impact is limited to a slight drop in fuel efficiency compared to E10 petrol, but that will be the case with any car. Component wear and tear, meanwhile, is not a concern as it could be with pre-2023 vehicles that are not engineered to take E20 petrol. For your wife's daily commute in Kochi, with good visibility, ease of handling and mileage as priorities, the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is the best fit. It is compact, easy to drive in the city thanks to its light controls, offers excellent visibility and has a smooth fuel-efficient petrol engine. It is also reliable and inexpensive to maintain, which makes it a stress-free ownership proposition.If you want a higher seating position and SUV-like visibility, the Hyundai Exter is a good alternative. It offers a slightly higher driving position and better road visibility while still being easy to drive and fuel-efficient, albeit not as good value for money as the Grand i10 Nios. The Maruti Suzuki Swift is another option that's even more fuel efficient, but visibility is not as good as in the Hyundai's.While an EV makes sense for the city component of your wife's usage, you must make sure home charging is possible at your residence first. However, the bigger issue is that at your budget of Rs. 10 lakh, none of the available EVs can comfortably do a long highway trip without some amount of range anxiety or reliance on the public charging network. If you're willing to take that risk, then EVs like the Tata Tiago EV are a good bet, but if not, then the Hyundai Nios or Exter are better bets for your wife.

Popular discussions right now

•1w

Hi, I want to buy my last car as I am 66 years old. I have been driving a Honda City for the last 12 years without any major hiccup. The Honda City engine and its reliability is excellent although its ground clearance is an issue. I have looked at Elevate and given its ground clearance as an SUV, I am impressed although the issues on E20 and abrupt blending issues are surely technical issues. Windsor EV was a great test drive but all controls on screen could be a bottleneck for me at my age and am planning to move to an automatic. Please recommend as experts. My monthly running will not be more than 500 km. Should I also look at Seltos. I will appreciate a feedback from experts. I want a reliable, easy to drive car with low maintenance cost and good family value with. There won't be any great pick ups or many highway drives will not be there.

4.7k
Verified
•6d

Given your 12 years of trouble free City ownership, the Elevate is the most natural replacement. It retains Honda’s simple 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, adds substantially better ground clearance and gives you the easier ingress and SUV driving position you liked. The CVT is also very well suited to your low speed, low running usage and should make the transition to an automatic easy.On your E20 concern, we would not treat it as a reason to avoid the Elevate. Honda says all its cars manufactured in India since January 2009 are E20 material compatible, and the current Elevate is officially certified for E20. Honda also says E20 should not cause durability concerns or require any component changes. There can be a marginal reduction in fuel economy because ethanol contains less energy than petrol, but with your 500km monthly running, that is unlikely to be significant.The Seltos is worth a look, particularly if you want a more feature rich and premium cabin, but given your priorities of reliability, easy driving, low maintenance and long term ownership, the Elevate fits your requirements more naturally. The Windsor EV is also an interesting option, but at just 500km a month, there is little financial reason to move to an EV, especially when you have concerns about its touchscreen heavy interface.

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Posted on: 3 Jul 2026