The Honda Amaze will offer a better ownership experience for you. Firstly, it's a CVT, which is smoother and much more responsive than the AMT in the Tata Nexon. 

It’s lighter and more agile than the Nexon too, which as a first-time owner makes it easier to drive and manouver especially in the city. Being a Honda car, you can expect it to be more reliable and easier to maintain. It’s efficient and fairly spacious too, and for your budget, the Amaze is the right choice.

The Honda Amaze is a compact sedan, the Honda Elevate is an SUV, and the Hyundai Verna is a mid-size sedan. So, they are quite different in terms of body style and their usage. 

The Honda Amaze suits buyers on a tighter budget, and since you’ve shortlisted the Elevate and Verna, we assume your budget is higher and around Rs 20 lakh.

The Hyundai Verna is a well-equipped sedan and works well for city driving. That said, we also suggest you look closely at Elevate. SUVs are generally more comfortable and confidence-inspiring on highways. 

The Honda Elevate 1.5-litre engine paired with the CVT gearbox feels smooth and responsive in everyday city use as well. It also offers a large boot, which is handy for weekend trips and vacation luggage
 

The Honda Amaze ZX CVT is a good option for your wife. It is a spacious and comfortable car with a smooth CVT gearbox. The ZX variant is well equipped too, with features like a sunroof, a touchscreen infotainment system, and a rear parking camera.

The Amaze is also a safe car, with a 5-star Bharat NCAP crash test rating. The only downside is that the 1.2-litre petrol engine is not very powerful, and the CVT gearbox can be a bit slow to respond when you need a quick burst of acceleration.

If you are looking at a used car, the Amaze is a good option. However, we would recommend you buy a new car, as the price difference is not very large, and you will get the peace of mind of a new car warranty.

There are a plethora of automatic petrol cars available within your budget. Given your monthly travel is just 200-300km, we will give less weightage to fuel economy and more weightage to driving comfort. As we don't know other preferences, here's a shortlist of the best options by body style -  

Hatchback - Hyundai i20 IVT Asta (O), Citroen C3 X Shine AT
Compact sedan - Honda Amaze CVT ZX
Compact SUV - Nissan Magnite Turbo CVT, Renault Kiger Turbo CVT Emotion

With your Rs 10 lakh budget, a strong choice is the Honda Amaze VX MT.
It fits well within budget, offers good comfort, and carries a 5-star Bharat NCAP adult safety rating. The petrol engine is tried and tested, and it has a comfortable ride quality. With the manual, you can expect real-world mileage of around 14 to 15 kpl.

If you want an automatic, consider the Amaze CVT in the lower V variant, which fits within your budget. The CVT gives you a premium automatic experience, unlike cars in this price bracket that offer basic AMTs, and for a long daily commute. It will make a noticeable difference in smoothness and ease of driving.
 

Thank you for your support. We're happy to help! 

Coming to your question, the Honda Amaze, while practical and comfy, does not have the driving thrill you would want. 

The Volkswagen Virtus, while impressive, will not fit in your budget apart from the base variant, which isn't too impressive. The Citroen Basalt X will be a good pick out of this lot. It has a punchy turbo-petrol engine that is lovely to drive, the ride comfort is excellent, and it has a large boot as well. 

Also, while it is feature-packed, it isn't unnecessarily complicated, and the functions are easy to use. The Basalt X would be our recommendation.