If you want to buy any of these SUVs, we suggest increasing your budget by ₹2-3 lakh. At a ₹10 lakh on-road budget, you will have to settle for the lower variants, which is a personal choice but does mean missing out on key features. 

Within a ₹10 lakh budget, a good option for you is the Hyundai Exter. It allows you to choose a fully loaded variant that comes with an 8-inch touchscreen, sunroof, cruise control, wireless phone charger, rearview camera, and other useful features. It gets a smooth and refined 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder engine that delivers power in a predictable and easy-to-manage manner. 

Since you are a new driver, opting for the AMT would be a sensible choice, as it adds to everyday driving comfort and convenience.

Amongst the cars you mentioned, you can consider the Tata Nexon or Kia Sonet. 

Considering your requirements, we would suggest the Kia Seltos HTX CVT with ADAS.

For daily city commutes, the 1.5 litre naturally aspirated petrol engine paired with a CVT automatic feels smooth, refined, easy to drive and offers a comfortable ride. It is also well equipped and gets all the features you are looking for and more. For occasional highway use, this engine and gearbox combination has enough punch as well.

An alternative is the Hyundai Creta, which uses a similar engine and gearbox, but the Seltos feels newer and better specced. Another option is the Tata Sierra, though its 1.5 litre naturally aspirated engine does not feel as effortless as the one in the Seltos.

Unfortunately, there are very few sedan options available today, and between Rs 20 to 30 lakh, you would only find the Honda City Hybrid. The City will meet your requirements of good mileage and low maintenance cost, however this variant isn't really value for money at all. 

Thus, we would suggest you consider the Hyundai Verna instead. The car may not be as fuel-efficient as the Honda, but it is efficient enough. 

We put the 1.5 litre turbo petrol auto through our standard test cycle, and it returned 10.76kpl in the city and 16.05kpl on the highway. The Verna is also well equipped and offers good value, and will be reliable and low on maintenance costs. It also secured a 5-star rating in the GNCAP crash tests.  

The Maruti Suzuki XL6 would best suit your requirements of mileage and performance. Against the others in your shortlist, the 1.5 litre petrol engine in the XL6 offers decent performance and refinement, but a noticeably better fuel efficiency. The engine has a mild-hybrid setup and, in our standard test cycle, returned a figure of 9.2kpl in the city and 17.0kpl on the highway. 

We assume, of course, you are comparing petrol versions across the three MPVs in your shortlist, given that the XL6 comes with only a petrol engine. If not, the Kia Carens and Hyundai Alcazar also have diesel engines, and these versions would be more fuel efficient than the petrol XL6. 

You're right; the price of the Hyundai Venue diesel AT feels high for a compact SUV, but that's largely because the cost of keeping a diesel engine compatible with the latest emissions norms is high. It becomes especially apparent in the price of compact cars. 

And yes, while the diesel automatic is the best overall powertrain of the Venue, and a relative novelty in the segment, you could save a bundle by choosing the turbo petrol instead. 

Since you plan to use it mostly in the city, it's not worth the extra spend on the diesel engine, and the 1.0 T-GDi with the DCT is a good combo.

However, if you want a car that's fun to drive in this segment, consider the Skoda Kylaq instead. It's perhaps not as cutting-edge as the Venue when it comes to tech, but it does have a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating. 

Also, a punchier engine in its 1.0 TSI and a smoother automatic in the form of its 6-speed torque converter auto.

Yes, if your driving is primarily in the city, the combination of naturally aspirated petrol and a smooth automatic is the best option for you. Advantages of the Maruti Victoris are a slightly lower price and official fuel economy rating. 

However, do note that the Victoris uses a 6-speed torque converter automatic, while the Hyundai Creta uses a CVT, and in real-world use, the CVT is likely to be more efficient. The Creta outscores the Victoris in most other areas, too, including your requirement of comfortable back seats, where the Victoris is lacking in space. 

You could also check out the new Kia Seltos, which offers the same 1.5 petrol CVT powertrain as the Creta, but even better rear seat space and comfort.

While there aren't too many compact cars with ADAS features, the new Hyundai Venue is one of them. It's a great all-rounder with improved ride comfort and rear-seat space, a high-tech infotainment system with excellent graphics, a wide array of engines and gearboxes, and loads of safety features, including the aforementioned ADAS. 

Another good option is the Kia Syros, which has all the features of the Venue, but even greater rear seat space (and ventilated rear seats). It costs a little bit more, and its look is not to all tastes, but it offers quite a bit more.

You can go with the Hyundai Exter AMT, it is a well-equipped car, drives well and has the smoothest AMTs in the segment. The 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine is smooth, refined and linearly delivers its power. 

For a first-time car owner, Hyundai's vast network of service centres and relatively pocket-friendly after-sales service will add to your ownership experience. 

The Maruti Suzuki Baleno or even its sister car, the Toyota Glanza, would be a good option to buy. The car is spacious with comfy seats, and it is fuel-efficient too, both the manual and the automatic version (AMT). 

In our standard test cycle, we got 13.80kpl and 17.50kpl in our city and highway cycles for the manual, whereas the automated manual transmission (AMT) achieved 11.86kpl and 17.21kpl.  

The Baleno sits below 4 meters in length and is compact enough for the city. However, if you would like something smaller, consider the Hyundai Exter. It won't be as efficient, in the manual we got 9kpl and 14kpl for city and highway runs, but this is still good. Also, you will also benefit from a slightly higher seating position and a lower price.