Hi, I do not drive myself and use a chauffeur-driven car. Usage is mostly within the city with occasional highway trips. The car is used about two days a week. My budget is ₹12 lakh, and low yearly maintenance is very important. Which car would you recommend?

Autocar India

•2d

Unfortunately, neither the Mahindra Scorpio N nor the Tata Safari is available in your budget of Rs 15 lakh, as even their base models start at around Rs 17 lakh, on road. Instead, we recommend the Kia Carens Clavis, which is a surprisingly spacious and capable 6- or 7-seater. Quality levels are very high, there are good features on offer, and there are plenty of engine and gearbox options to choose from. In your budget, you can go up to the HTE variant, with a choice of 1.5 petrol, 1.5 turbo petrol or 1.5 diesel engines. However, you can only have them with the manual gearbox; the automatic is out of your budget. You could also consider the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, which is an even better value for money.

Kia Carens Clavis

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

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Autocar India

•7m

Given your requirements, we would recommend you choose between the Honda City and the Honda Elevate. Both models have understated styling and a well-appointed interior.The Honda City sedan has a spacious and comfortable cabin, and the 121hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine is refined and peppy. It can be had with either a 6-speed manual, which has a claimed mileage of 17.8kpl, or a CVT automatic, which is claimed to do 18.4kpl. The City also has a comfortable ride quality, which will be good for your daily commute. Given your budget, you should either go for the City ZX MT (Rs 17.25 lakh, on-road Delhi) or the City VX CVT (Rs 17.33 lakh, on-road Delhi).However, if you want the road presence and ground clearance of an SUV, consider the Honda Elevate. It's gets the same powertrain options as the Honda City, although claimed mileage is lower with 15.31kpl for the manual and 16.92kpl for the CVT auto. The Elevate also has a spacious cabin and a comfortable ride quality. Given your budget, you should either go for the Elevate ZX MT (Rs 17.38 lakh, on-road Delhi) or the Elevate VX CVT (Rs 17.30 lakh, on-road Delhi).

Honda City

Honda Elevate

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Autocar India

•26m

Given your priorities from a petrol automatic, your best options are the Mahindra XUV 3XO, which you already like, and the Skoda Kylaq. Both have a lot in common, like a punchy turbocharged petrol engine, a solid feel, great ride quality and - most importantly - a smooth torque-converter automatic gearbox.The Mahindra car has a more spacious cabin, though this comes at the cost of the boot, which is smaller. And though its engine is stronger, it's also not very fuel-efficient; although, given your low running, perhaps this is not a deal breaker for you either. The XUV 3XO also has more features, though that drives the price up too, and at your budget of Rs 15-16 lakh, you should find evenly-equipped versions of both cars.Overall, they're closely matched, and preference plays a big role, but we feel the Skoda Kylaq is a better all-rounder.

Skoda Kylaq

Mahindra XUV 3XO

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