Tata Nexon EV Max long term review, 3500km report

These long-term reviews have always served a very useful purpose. They allow us to extract from a car, the smaller, more nuanced details that we might have missed during our often-brief, usually hurried first drive experience. They also unearth things that develop in a car over time, for better or worse. And all this somehow feels more apparent when it comes to an EV like this one. Electric cars, in the greater context of the automobile, are still relatively new, and even for us auto journos who get to sample a variety of them, save for a handful of carefully planned long-distance excursions, it’s usually in a limited capacity.

So, as you can imagine, my first kilometres in our long-term Nexon EV Max were covered with some degree of cautious optimism. I’d driven Nexon EVs before so I knew more or less what to expect, but even with one of the shortest commutes among all my colleagues, I’ve been conditioned to have range on my mind when driving an EV. More than that even, was the expectation that I’d have to change my driving style drastically to adapt to electric motoring. On both counts, I’m pleased to report, I needn’t have worried.

Informative colour instrument screen is helpful.

And that’s really the beauty of the Nexon EV, and what I think is the reason it’s been so successful – it’s just so easy to get used to. The acceleration, though brisk, is pleasantly manageable, and won’t snap your neck every time you try to inch ahead in traffic. And because it’s an EV, it’s incredibly smooth and refined. In fact, when it first came about, we said the EV was the best Nexon yet, because it ditched the SUV’s biggest weaknesses – the engine and gearbox. And range? Even though I don’t have any form of charging at home, a wallbox charger at the office is more than enough to make my 9km round-trip commute free of range anxiety.

Rotary drive selector is slow and tricky to lock in place.

Additionally, because it’s based on a long-established ICE SUV, everything on the inside is where you’d expect, and this too puts you at ease from the moment you get in. However, this also comes with the caveat that the SUV it’s based on is not without its share of ergonomic gaffes. Storage is minimal, USB ports are hard to reach, and the narrow and deep central cubbyhole is rendered near-useless by the wireless charger on top of it.

Slim, deep cubbyhole hindered further by wireless charger on top.

During my time with our Nexon EV, we also compared it to its first true same-segment rival, the similarly conceived Mahindra XUV400. It’s a testament to its strong fundamentals that this three-year-old EV (based on a six-year-old SUV!) managed to see off a newer rival. And using it as a long-term, everyday car, it’s no doubt these qualities of ease of use and practicality are what led it to become India’s bestselling electric car.