I want to buy a petrol automatic SUV in the range of 17 to 18 lakh. I am considering the Grand Vitara Zeta AT, Victoris ZXI, and Creta S(O) IVT. My annual average usage is between 5000 and 6000km. Please suggest a good option among the three vehicles in terms of smooth journey, mileage, and maintenance cost.

Autocar India

•3m

The Hyundai Creta is the better all-rounder and offers more space, a stronger and smoother powertrain (1.5 P IVT) and marginally better comfort. However, given your priorities of mileage and maintenance costs, it's hard to beat Maruti Suzuki on these fronts.

Whether you choose the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara or Victoris is a matter of preference (and which dealership is more accessible to you - Arena or Nexa), as they are essentially the same car underneath, using the same 1.5-litre petrol engine and 6-speed AT gearbox. Despite using a torque converter automatic gearbox, which is not typically associated with good mileage, both Maruti SUVs offer exceptional fuel economy, and maintenance costs over the course of their lives will be among the lowest in the segment.

Explore cars mentioned

Maruti Suzuki

Grand Vitara

from ₹12.54 Lakh

Maruti Suzuki

Victoris

from ₹12.23 Lakh

Hyundai

Creta

from ₹12.56 Lakh

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Latest questions people are discussing

•1d

I am planning to buy a car in the ₹20-21 lakh range. My priorities are safety, performance, and decent mileage. My daily driving varies a lot, ranging from around 10 km to 100 km per day. I was considering waiting for MG Motor to launch a plug-in hybrid. How long do you think it might take for MG to launch such a car, and would it be worth waiting for it? Or should I go ahead and buy an ICE vehicle instead? I do not need the car immediately and can wait for around 6-8 months. What do you think would be the best option for me?

Autocar India

•19h

If you are keen on a hybrid and can wait for 6 to 8 months, then we would recommend you do so. MG, JSW Motor and Renault will all be launching either strong and/or plug-in hybrids this year. As for the driving pattern, it doesn't make much of a difference if your daily runs vary, as you have indicated, from 10 to 100 km. An important factor when considering a hybrid is simply how many kilometres you would drive in its time with you. If you are going to keep the car for a long time, like 4 years and would on average have a running of about 1800km per month. In the case of something like a Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, a strong hybrid over the regular engine makes sense. As for plug-in hybrids, you'll have to wait to see the pricing difference and figure out if it works for you.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

Sharmila

•1d

Please advise which car I should buy. I am confused between the Hyundai Creta EX(O) IVT, Kia Seltos HTE(O) IVT, and Honda Elevate V CVT, all 2026 models. My usage will be 50% city and 50% highway. I plan to sell the car in 3 to 4 years, so good resale value is important. Which of these cars would be the better value for money and easier to resell later? Please suggest.

Autocar India

•1d

Since your usage is split evenly between city and highway and you plan to sell the car in about 3–4 years, choosing the model that feels the most modern and premium today would make more sense.Among the three, we would suggest going for the Kia Seltos IVT. It is the newer car compared to the Hyundai Creta, and it is also slightly larger and more spacious, which helps it feel more premium overall. Both the Seltos and Creta share the same powertrain, so either car will offer a similar driving experience. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine is one of the most refined units in this segment and the IVT/CVT transmission is silky smooth, making it well suited for both city and highway driving.Also, considering that the Creta is expected to be replaced early next year, it is unlikely to have a higher resale value compared to the Seltos in the coming years.The Honda Elevate is also a safe and reliable option. However, compared to the Creta and the Seltos, it does not feel as premium and the engine is a bit noisier than the Hyundai/Kia unit. It is also an older product compared to the Seltos.

MKT

which among Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid and Hyryder Strong Hybrid have better relase value and what might be the eventual replacement cost of the hybrid battery that goes into these vehicles

Autocar India

•1d

The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid and the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Strong Hybrid are still relatively new in the Indian market, so there isn’t enough real-world data yet to say definitively which one will have better resale value. What we can go by for now is brand perception and past trends: Toyotas typically enjoy very strong resale because of their reputation for reliability and low running costs, so it is reasonable to expect the Hyryder to hold its value slightly better over time, all else being equal. That said, the Grand Vitara shares the same Toyota-sourced hybrid powertrain and battery tech, and Maruti’s wide service network and lower maintenance costs also work in its favour, so the gap in resale may not be huge in the real world.On the hybrid battery side, both the Grand Vitara and the Hyryder Strong Hybrid come with an 8-year or 1,60,000 km warranty on the lithium-ion hybrid battery pack, which is now fairly standard for Toyota’s self-charging hybrids and has been extended to the Maruti-Toyota joint products as well. This long warranty is significant because it effectively covers the period when most owners would worry about a big-ticket failure. The battery in these cars is relatively small (around 0.7–0.8 kWh) and is designed to cycle gently between partial states of charge, which greatly improves its life compared to a full EV battery that is regularly fast-charged and deep-cycled.As for eventual replacement cost, there is no official India-specific figure published for the Grand Vitara/Hyryder hybrid pack yet, but looking at typical Toyota hybrid battery pricing abroad and early dealer-level indications, a rough ballpark of around Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for a full pack replacement is a reasonable estimate in today’s terms, excluding any future inflation. Actual cost will depend on the exact part price at the time, taxes, and whether you go through the authorised network or a specialist workshop once the car is much older. It is also worth noting that Toyota hybrids globally have a very strong track record for battery longevity, with many running well past 10 years and high mileages without needing a pack replacement, and India gets the same basic technology. So while you should be aware of the potential cost, for most owners the battery is unlikely to be a recurring expense within the normal ownership window.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

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