If you are shopping for a new electric car priced in the range of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh (ex-showroom), there are quite a few competent offerings in the market. While homegrown carmakers Tata and Mahindra have been the default choice in the segment, foreign players like Vinfast and BYD have been steadily making inroads. Here, we have ranked the five best electric SUVs that you can currently buy within the stated budget.
Mahindra XEV 9S
Price: Rs 20.70 lakh-Rs 30.20 lakh
The Mahindra XEV 9S is not only a well-rounded EV, but it also offers fantastic value for money. It’s powerful and great to drive, delivers a class-best 450km+ real-world range and is very refined, too. The interior is premium and feature-packed, and the third row, although tight on space, adds flexibility. The XEV 9S is only let down by some ergonomic flaws and an unintuitive infotainment UI/UX. Plus, the touch-heavy user interface could also be a downer for some. Battery options include 59kWh, 70kWh and 79kWh units, with a claimed range of up to 679km.
Mahindra XEV 9e
Price: Rs 22.65 lakh-Rs 31.25 lakh
The Mahindra XEV 9e The Mahindra XEV 9e is similar to the 9S under the skin, so its pros and cons are largely the same. However, the 9e offers improved ride and handling. Its coupe-SUV body style lends it better road presence but hampers practicality and cabin space. The 9e also misses out on the mid-spec 70kWh battery offered with the 9S, which means it only gets the 59kWh and 79kWh options, with a claimed range of up to 656km. Despite its few shortcomings compared to the 9S, it costs more.
Tata Harrier EV
Price: Rs 21.49 lakh-Rs 29.48 lakh
The Tata Harrier EV is more affordable than the two Mahindras above while also offering AWD on the top trim. Moreover, it delivers better outright performance and matches the above models closely in ride and handling and interior features. The Mahindras, however, have an edge with greater range, more comfortable interiors, larger boots and faster charging. Do note that the Harrier EV is also known to be plagued with reliability issues, and Tata’s service reputation is far from ideal. Battery options on the Harrier EV include 65kWh and 75kWh units. The AWD version, which delivers up to 622km of range, is only available with the latter. In RWD guise, the Harrier EV has a claimed range of up to 627km.
Vinfast VF7
Price: Rs 21.89 lakh-Rs 26.79 lakh
The Vinfast VF7 is the most powerful and quickest EV here in its top AWD guise, all while undercutting its rivals on price. It’s also got mature driving manners and a premium, spacious interior, and even makes for a good chauffeur-driven vehicle. However, it falls behind in range, its refinement is below average, and over-reliance on the touchscreen is an irritant. The VF7 gets two battery options – 59.6kWh and 70.8kWh units. The smaller battery can be had only in FWD guise, while the larger unit is available in both FWD and AWD versions. In all-wheel-drive guise, the VF7 produces 350hp and has a claimed range of up to 510km.
BYD Atto 3
Price: Rs 24.99 lakh-Rs 33.99 lakh
The BYD Atto 3 isn’t as quick as the other EVs here, offering a relatively calmer, smoother and more comfortable driving experience. It has a supple ride and a funky interior that offers a fair number of features. However, its 49.9kWh and 60.48kWh battery packs are smaller than those of its rivals, returning a claimed range of up to 521km. The Atto 3 is the smallest of the lot, which means it is less spacious inside. It is also the oldest model in this list and the most expensive one on account of being a CKD (completely knocked down) import, while all others are locally manufactured.
Uday Singh
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Dipan Sur
