Delhi

Top 10 fuel efficient diesel cars in India

Here are the 10 most frugal oil burners in India as tested by us in real world conditions.

3 min read•16 Jun '14

Staff Writer

2M+ views

A little while ago, we revealed the top 10 most fuel efficient petrol cars in India by taking into account the real-world mileage of each car achieved in Autocar India’s road tests. This data is collected by driving the car in actual urban and highway conditions in and around a typical Indian metro city. This means traffic, poorly paved roads and pollution, just like you might encounter in your car.

Now we have compiled a list of the top 10 most fuel efficient diesel cars in India, and no surprises here, it’s comprised entirely of hatchbacks and compact sedans. This has a lot to do with these cars’ relatively light kerb weights and smaller diesel engines, compared to larger sedans and SUVs.

Just for comparison, alongside our figures, we’ve also included each car’s manufacturer-claimed fuel-efficiency figure (as per ARAI testing conditions). These figures represent the fuel consumption a car could possibly achieve in perfect conditions, but they are calculated in a laboratory, and so don’t reflect the conditions that our cars really endure on Indian roads.

Finally, we’ve also included a running cost figure to see how much you’d spend on fuel each month. This is calculated based on the assumption that the vehicle is being driven for 1,000km a month, 50 percent of which is on city roads and 50 percent on highways, and that the cost per litre of diesel is Rs 65 (the current price in Mumbai, Maharashtra). This is also calculated using our real-world test figures, and not the ARAI rating.

So, are you the type of car owner for which fuel-efficiency is paramount? And if so, is your car on this list?

1. HYUNDAI XCENT

Top 10 fuel efficient diesel cars in India

Autocar India City mileage: 16.2kpl
Autocar India Highway mileage: 20.3kpl
ARAI rating: 24.4kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3561
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.56-7.41 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

The Xcent marked Hyundai’s foray into the popular compact sedan segment, up against the Honda Amaze and Maruti Dzire. Interestingly, while its 24.4kpl ARAI-rated figure is not nearly the highest on this list, our road test crowned it the king of the diesel roost. It managed 16.2kpl in the city – the highest figure here – and 20.3kpl on the highway, which is a touch shy of the Honda Amaze’s 20.8kpl. You can put that down to the Xcent’s smaller, 71bhp, 1120cc, three-cylinder, CRDi engine, which needs to be worked a little bit more out on the highway.

2. HONDA AMAZE

Autocar India city mileage: 15.2kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 20.8kpl
ARAI rating: 25.8kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3611
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.97-7.54 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

The Amaze was Honda’s first car in India to be powered by a diesel engine. The made-for-India diesel motor, with an ARAI-rated fuel efficiency of 25.8kpl, gave Honda the bragging rights to India’s most fuel efficient diesel car, surpassed only by its sibling, the City i-DTEC, whose ARAI rating is 26kpl. During testing, the Amaze diesel’s 15.2kpl in the city and 20.8kpl on the highway (still the best here), made it the most efficient diesel car we’d tested, until the Xcent came along. Not bad for a relatively large, 1498cc, four-cylinder engine that makes 98.6bhp and 20.3kgm of torque.

3. CHEVROLET BEAT

Top 10 fuel efficient diesel cars in India

Autocar India city mileage: 16kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 19.1kpl
ARAI rating: 25.44kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3703
Price (diesel range): Rs 4.77-5.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

Considering this is the most compact car here with the smallest-capacity engine, some might think that the Beat diesel should be at the top of the list. Its ARAI rating of 25.44kpl is second only to the Amaze’s and in our city tests, its 16kpl is second only to the Xcent. However, out on the highway, the small 936cc displacement lets it down, needing to be worked hard to really get the best of it. Which is why its 19.1kpl highway rating lets down its overall FE performance.