With increasing congestion on our roads, there’s no denying the ease of operation and comfort that automatic cars and SUVs allow, especially in urban spaces. If you are in the market for a compact petrol automatic SUV for city use, there’s no dearth of options either. What’s nice is that carmakers are now offering automatic gearbox options across most of the line-up of a particular vehicle, so there’s something to fit every budget. Here, we have listed the cheapest automatic SUVs under Rs 10 lakh that are currently available in India.
Note: Complete prices of all automatic variants of the cars listed are provided solely for reference.
9. Mahindra XUV 3XO
Price: Rs 9.71 lakh
The Mahindra XUV 3XO is the most expensive SUV on this list to get an automatic transmission under the Rs 10 lakh. It is offered with the MX2 Pro trim, which is available with a 111hp 1.2-litre turbo-petrol MPFi engine mated with a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. It is equipped with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, four speakers, a sunroof, halogen projector headlights, LED tail-lights, manual AC with rear vents, 6 airbags and reverse parking sensors. It has a claimed fuel efficiency of 18.2kpl (ARAI), and here’s how economical it is in real-world conditions. Notably, the XUV 3XO is also offered with a more powerful TGDi turbo-petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine.
9. Skoda Kylaq
Price: Rs 9.25 lakh
The Skoda Kylaq, with the one-above-base Classic+ variant priced below Rs 10 lakh, makes its entry to the list. It gets a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox paired with a 115hp 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine. In terms of amenities, this variant is equipped with a single-pane sunroof, an analogue instrument cluster with a MID, a 6-speaker sound system, manual AC, cruise control, and a leatherette-wrapped gear lever. On the safety front, it features 6 airbags, rear parking sensors, rain sensing wipers and ISOFIX child seat anchorages. The turbo-petrol-automatic combination has an ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of 19.68kpl.
7. Tata Nexon
Starting price: Rs 8 lakh
The Nexon is one of the only two Tata offerings in this list, and it is available with a 6-speed AMT with a 120hp 1.2-litre 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. For a budget of under Rs 10 lakh, you’ll get the lower-spec Smart+, Pure+ and Pure+ S trims, which, considering the price point, come decently equipped. The Smart+ trim is equipped with basic amenities including a 7-inch touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, all four power windows, electrically adjustable wing mirrors, full-LED lighting and 6 airbags. The Pure+ improves on this with a 10.25-inch infotainment system, four speakers, rear AC vents, a 4-inch MID on the instrument cluster and auto-folding outside rearview mirrors (ORVMs). The Pure+ S adds a single-pane sunroof, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights to the mix. The Nexon also features a 7-speed DCT gearbox with the same engine, but it is available in higher variants. The Nexon petrol-AMT has an ARAI-rated mileage of 17.18kpl. Like the Mahindra XUV 3XO, the Nexon is one of the few cars to get a diesel engine in the segment.
6. Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor
Starting Price: Rs 8.72 lakh
Next on this list of the cheapest automatic SUVs is the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor, which comes with a 5-speed AMT with its 90hp 1.2-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine. The Taisor has two trims under Rs 10 lakh with the AMT gearbox: S and S+. The latter comes with features such as a 7.0-inch touchscreen, wireless phone connectivity, automatic climate control and alloy wheels. It, however, misses out on LED headlamps and daytime running lamps (DRLs), keyless go, rear AC vents and 6 airbags, among others. Notably, what’s most impressive about the Taisor petrol-AMT is that it has an ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of 22.8kpl. Higher variants also get a 6-speed torque converter with a more powerful turbo-petrol engine.
5. Maruti Suzuki Fronx
Starting Price: Rs 8.15 lakh
The Maruti Suzuki Fronx is mechanically identical to the Toyota Taisor, so it uses the same 1.2-litre petrol engine and 5-speed AMT gearbox; even their fuel efficiency is similar. Like the Taisor, the Fronx also has two trims that fit under the Rs 10 lakh budget – Delta and Delta+. However, the Fronx’s variants compared to the equivalent Taisor are over Rs 50,000 cheaper, and that’s a significant amount of savings. The Fronx also features a 6-speed torque converter gearbox option, paired with a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine on higher trims.
4. Hyundai Exter
Starting Price: Rs 7.68 lakh
The Hyundai Exter uses an 83hp 1.2-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine that’s coupled with a 5-speed AMT. The Exter is one of the smaller models on this list, but on the positive side, the entire AMT line-up fits under Rs 10 lakh. In its SX(O) trim, the Exter AMT is very well-equipped with features like an 8.0-inch touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, LED headlamps with DRLs, 15-inch alloys, 6 airbags and a sunroof. The Exter AMT even comes with paddle shifters for manual control, making for a great value pick. Hyundai claims an ARAI-rated fuel efficiency of 19.2kpl for the Exter AMT. Buyers also have the option of the Exter Knight Edition, which features a blacked-out exterior and interior.
3. Tata Punch
Starting Price: Rs 7.55 lakh
The Tata Punch AMT has a slightly lower starting price than the similarly sized Exter, and it uses a 86hp 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine with a 5-speed AMT. Like with the Exter, the entire Punch AMT line-up comes under Rs 10 lakh. Some of the equipment highlights on the Punch top model include a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen, larger 16-inch alloy wheels, wireless phone connectivity and charging, a sunroof and automatic headlamps. Tata has not revealed the claimed fuel efficiency of the Punch AMT, but the pre-facelift model has a mileage of 18.82kpl.
2. Renault Kiger
Starting Price: Rs 6.95 lakh
The Renault Kiger gets two automatic gearbox options under Rs 10 lakh: a 5-speed AMT with the 72hp 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine and a smoother and more sophisticated CVT with the 100hp 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. The AMT gearbox is available on the mid-spec Evolution and Techno trims, with the latter also getting the option of the CVT under Rs 10 lakh. The Kiger has an ARAI-rated fuel efficiency of 19.03kpl for the AMT and 18.24kpl for the CVT. It’s also larger and more spacious than the likes of the Exter and Punch. It comes decently equipped with features such as an 8.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, keyless entry and go, LED headlights, a wireless charger, leatherette upholstery, a 360-degree camera, ambient lighting and 6 airbags.
1. Nissan Magnite
Starting Price: Rs 6.21 lakh
The Nissan Magnite is the most affordable automatic SUV in India with a starting price of Rs 6.21 lakh. It is a sister model to the Renault Kiger, so the powertrain options are identical, and fuel efficiency figures are similar as well. However, the Magnite is more affordable than the Kiger and has more trim options under the Rs 10 lakh budget, including for the turbo-petrol CVT versions. In fact, the Magnite is also the cheapest CVT-equipped car in India. There’s also a special Kuro Edition that comes with an all-black exterior and interior.
Uday Singh
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Rivan RS 
Saumil Shah
Dipan Sur
