Hi Autocar team, please suggest an EV for elderly parents. Usage will mostly be in the city, with occasional highway trips of 200 to 250 km. Budget is approximately ₹10 to 17 lakh.

Autocar India

•26m

Choose the Tata Punch EV Empowered 40. For elderly parents’ city use and occasional highway trips, it combines easy ingress, a comfortable ride and a decent real-world range.

Since most drives are in the city, the 40kWh battery should deliver around 280-300km of range, which means charging once a week is feasible. Highway use will see this drop, but a 200–250km run on a single charge is still achievable. The tall seating position and wide-opening doors make ingress and egress easier for elderly occupants, while the compact footprint and good visibility make it easy to drive and park. Ride quality is also superb, and high-speed stability is reassuring.

The one trade-off is rear seat space for three passengers. It is possible to sit three abreast, but the narrow width means it can feel a bit cramped. For slightly more range and a more spacious rear seat, consider the Tata Nexon EV Empowered 45.

On the test drive, have your parents check ease of entry, seat height, brake feel and the regen modes. Plus, take note of battery consumption based on their driving style.

Explore cars mentioned

Tata

Nexon EV

from ₹13.27 Lakh

Tata

Punch EV

from ₹10.28 Lakh

Related questions you may find helpful

Shiva Kunal

•1d

My budget is around ₹13 lakh on-road. Can you please suggest a car with good mileage and a boot space of around 350 litres or more?

Autocar India

•1h

Go for the Maruti Suzuki Dzire ZXi+ MT. It stays well within your Rs 13 lakh budget, delivers a 24.79kpl ARAI efficiency, and offers a roomy 382‑litre boot.The Dzire also offers a comfortable and spacious cabin, and it has received a 5-star crash safety rating from Global NCAP and Bharat NCAP. You also get the peace of mind associated with Maruti ownership. The one thing you give up is the high ground clearance and elevated seating position you'd get in a compact SUV.If you want SUV-like clearance and a taller driving position, consider the Kia Sonet 1.2 HTK+(O) petrol instead. It has a claimed ARAI mileage of 18.83kpl, and its 385‑litre boot can fit in more cargo than you'd think.

Maruti Suzuki Dzire

Kia Sonet

Prashant Kumar Singh

•1d

I have a budget of ₹25 lakh, and my daily driving is around 40 km. I am considering buying the Mahindra XUV 7XO, as I want a 7-seater with excellent features and safety. However, I am somewhat concerned about the DEF issue. What should I do?

Autocar India

•2h

The DEF or DPF, diesel particulate filter issue typically arises when the car is used only for very short drives or constant slow-speed city usage. All engines equipped with a DPF undergo a DPF regeneration cycle to avoid clogging. This process happens automatically when the exhaust temperatures rise high enough, basically when the car is driven for at least 20 to 30 minutes at speeds of about 60 kph, typical a highway drive. This process generally needs to occur once every couple of weeks. So if you have this kind of driving pattern, you should be fine.If you do not end up achieving this, you will receive a prompt to run this cycle or even a parked regen cycle, where you would have to keep the car in an open space and follow the prompts on the screen, which essentially would keep the car idling at a higher speed for up to 30 minutes.

Atiqueul Islam

•3d

I have read the recent comments about the Duster on your website, and I am impressed by the overall rating of the Duster. I am planning to purchase the 1L turbo manual version of Duster and seeking advice on the power delivery and torque. Is it sufficient for city drives and, very occasionally, driving on highways?

Autocar India

•2h

For your requirement, the 1.0-litre turbo petrol Renault Duster should be adequate for your usage, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Although we haven’t driven this engine in the Duster yet, we have experienced it in cars like the Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite. In those cars, the engine feels peppy and responsive, especially in city conditions.Now, the Duster is a larger and heavier car, so performance will take a slight hit compared to those smaller SUVs. However, for city driving, it should feel more than sufficient, and thanks to the turbo, it will still offer good low-end torque, making it easy to drive in traffic. On the highway, it should be able to keep up with fast-moving traffic comfortably, and overtaking should not feel stressful.That said, we strongly recommend that you test drive the 1.0-litre version before deciding. Since it is a 3-cylinder engine, you may notice some vibration at idle and hard acceleration, something we have experienced in the Kiger and Magnite.If your priority is smoothness and refinement, you can also consider options like the Tata Sierra, Hyundai Creta or Kia Seltos, which offer more refined petrol engines. However, in terms of outright punch and torque feel, the turbo Duster will still feel stronger.

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