Which is the best petrol automatic car available under ₹9 lakh?

Autocar India

•50m

Get the Kia Carens Clavis diesel automatic. It fits your family size, is easy for a senior to get in and out of, and stays well under Rs. 25 lakh. For your 50 km daily city run, the diesel engine is refined, the torque converter automatic is smooth, and it is very easy to drive. On your monthly highway trips, it cruises calmly, feels secure at speed, and you get a genuinely usable third row and decent boot space. The Carens Clavis can be had as a 7-seater or a 6-seater, with individual captain's chairs in the middle.Cabin comfort is a strong point. The second row is spacious, the ride is comfortable enough over bad roads, and the panoramic roof in the higher variants makes the cabin feel airy. It is also a bit smaller outside than the big SUVs, so parking and driving in traffic is less stressful.One catch is that with all three rows up, the boot is tight, so you'll have to plan your way around it.

Kia Carens Clavis

Autocar India

•1h

The Skoda Kylaq Signature AT would be the recommendation here. For a first-time buyer with a family of four, it strikes an excellent balance between safety, comfort and ease of ownership. The Kylaq has strong safety credentials, a spacious cabin for its size and a smooth torque-converter automatic gearbox that is well-suited to Bengaluru's traffic conditions. Its turbo-petrol engine also feels effortless on highways and ghat roads, making it a more capable long-distance car than most hatchbacks or entry-level SUVs.With your relatively low monthly running, fuel efficiency differences between petrol automatics are unlikely to have a major impact on ownership costs. Instead, it makes sense to prioritise safety, comfort and overall driving experience, areas where the Kylaq performs very well.The Tata Punch remains a strong option from a safety and value perspective, but if concerns around service quality are weighing on your decision, the Kylaq is an easier recommendation.

Skoda Kylaq

Tata Punch

Autocar India

•2h

The Mahindra XEV 9S and XEV 9e would both be excellent choices within your budget. The key difference comes down to your space requirements. The XEV 9S is the one to choose if you need the flexibility of a 7-seat layout, while the XEV 9e is a 5-seater with a sleeker design and more emphasis on style. Beyond that, both models share the same battery packs and electric motors, so there is little to separate them in terms of performance, charging capability or range.While both have claimed ranges comfortably above 500km, in the real world you should expect closer to 450-470km on a full charge, depending on your driving style, speed and usage conditions. Even so, that remains among the best figures available in this price range.Your 5kW solar setup is an added advantage and should help keep charging costs very low over the long term.

Mahindra XEV 9S

Mahindra XEV 9e