10 most affordable cars with a powered driver seat

When we get behind the wheel of a car for the first time, one of the initial orders of business is adjusting the driver’s seat to find a comfortable position. Cars of yore usually featured levers to manually adjust the driver’s seat height, recline, and distance from the steering wheel, but in recent years, electrical (or powered) driver’s seat adjustment – which offers more convenient and granular control – has begun making its way into several mass-market models.

To that end, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 cheapest cars in India that get a powered driver’s seat, ranked by the price of their most affordable variants that include the feature, in descending order.

10. MG Windsor EV

Exclusive onwards

Price: Rs 15.15 lakh onwards (Rs 11.14 lakh with BaaS)

The first car (and only EV) on this list is the popular MG Windsor EV, which offers a 6-way (sliding, reclining, and height adjust) powered driver’s seat starting from its one-above-base Exclusive trim. Interestingly, if you buy the Windsor EV via MG’s BaaS programme, the corresponding price drop makes it the cheapest car in India to offer a powered driver's seat.

MG sells the Windsor EV with 38kWh and 52.9kWh battery pack options, both wired up to a 136hp front-mounted motor and delivering a claimed range of up to 449km.

9. Volkswagen Virtus

Topline onwards

Price: Rs 15 lakh onwards

There’s great midsize sedan representation here, and the first of them is the Volkswagen Virtus. From the Topline trim onwards, the Virtus gets 6-way electrical adjustment not only for the driver’s seat, but for the co-driver’s seat as well.

These higher-spec Virtus variants can be had with either a 115hp 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbo-petrol or a 150hp 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. A 6-speed manual is standard, with the 1.0-litre engine also offering a 6-speed automatic and the 1.5-litre motor a 7-speed DCT.

8. Skoda Slavia

Monte Carlo onwards

Price: Rs 15 lakh onwards

As the platform sibling to the Virtus, the Skoda Slavia also offers 6-way powered seats for the driver and co-driver from the sporty Monte Carlo trim onwards. Though the starting price for the same is equivalent to that of the Virtus, the Slavia ranks above thanks to its higher variants being easier on the pocket.

Expectedly, the Slavia is powered by the same 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre turbo-petrol powertrains as the Virtus, though the Skoda sedan doesn't offer the latter engine with a manual transmission.

7. Kia Syros

HTX+ onwards

Price: Rs 14.56 lakh onwards

The Kia Syros places a major emphasis on space, comfort, and convenience, and so it doesn't come as a surprise that the compact SUV is equipped with a 4-way (sliding and reclining) powered driver’s seat starting from its HTX+ trim.

These Syros variants are available with either a 120hp 1.0-litre turbo-petrol motor with a 7-speed DCT, or a 116hp 1.5-litre diesel engine paired with a 6-speed automatic.

6. Tata Curvv

Accomplished S onwards

Price: Rs 14.55 lakh onwards

Beating the Syros by a razor-thin margin is the Tata Curvv coupe SUV, which adds a 6-way powered driver’s seat to its equipment list from the Accomplished S trim onwards.

The Curvv offers the widest gamut of powertrains on this list, with the respective variants comprising a 120hp 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine, a 125hp 1.2-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol engine, and a 118hp 1.5-litre diesel engine. All three powerplants can be mated to either a 6-speed manual or 7-speed DCT.

5. Hyundai Verna

SX(O) only

Price: Rs 14.35 lakh onwards

At the halfway point of this list comes the cheapest sedan to offer a powered driver’s seat: the Hyundai Verna. It gets a 4-way powered driver’s seat in the top-spec SX(O) trim only, the starting price for which beats those of the Virtus and Slavia by Rs 65,000. However, it's worth reiterating that the European duo get 6-way electrical adjustment for both the driver and co-driver.

The Verna SX(O) powertrain options include a 115hp 1.5-litre petrol engine (6-speed manual or CVT) and a 160hp 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine (6-speed manual or 7-speed DCT).

4. Kia Sonet

GTX+ onwards

Price: Rs 13.51 lakh onwards

Kia’s other compact SUV offering, the Sonet, comes equipped with a 4-way powered driver’s seat from its one-below-top GTX+ trim onwards.

Much like the Syros, these higher-spec Sonet variants are available with either a 120hp 1.0-litre turbo-petrol motor with a 7-speed DCT, or a 116hp 1.5-litre diesel engine with a 6-speed automatic.

3. MG Astor

Sharp Pro onwards

Price: Rs 13.23 lakh onwards

The MG Astor stands as the cheapest midsize SUV to offer a powered driver's seat, beating the Curvv by a whopping Rs 2.32 lakh margin. 6-way electrical adjustment for the driver's seat is added to the Astor’s feature list from its Sharp Pro trim onwards.

Engine options for the Astor are limited to a 110hp 1.5-litre petrol engine that can be mated to either a 5-speed manual or an 8-step CVT.

2. Skoda Kylaq

Prestige only

Price: Rs 11.84 lakh onwards

Though the Skoda Kylaq ranks a very close second on this list, the compact SUV still takes home a couple of notable victories. The Kylaq is the cheapest car in India to pack in a 6-way powered driver's seat, and it's also the cheapest car to offer 6-way electrical adjustment for the co-driver seat – a segment-first feature.

Powered front seats are locked to the top-spec Kylaq Prestige trim, and it can be had with a 115hp 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic.

1. Hyundai Venue

HX8 onwards

Price: Rs 11.81 lakh onwards

The recently-launched new-gen Hyundai Venue is officially the most affordable car in India to be equipped with a powered driver's seat, with 4-way electrical adjustment on offer starting from the compact SUV’s HX8 trim. Notably, the top-spec Venue N Line N10 variant gets a 4-way powered driver's seat too.

Powertrain options for these Venue trims include the familiar 120hp 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with 6-speed manual and 7-speed DCT gearboxes, as well as a 116hp 1.5-litre diesel engine paired with a 6-speed automatic.

All prices are ex-showroom, India.