Tata Curvv EV

The Curvv EV carries over most of its concept car design elements. The familiar Tata front includes a thin LED light bar, closed-off grille (with charging port hidden behind the logo), and a sleek, chrome-trimmed airdam. Flush-fitting, illuminated door handles, a sloping coupe-like roofline, gloss black cladding, and 18-inch aero wheels enhance the stylish look. At the rear, there’s a full-width LED bar and a raked tailgate, though this hampers rear visibility and omits a washer/wiper. The Curvv EV comes in five paint options, with the “Virtual Sunrise” shade standing out. Tata also debuts a premium-looking new key fob.

Dimensionally, it’s larger than the Nexon EV but slightly smaller than the MG ZS EV. It offers a 186mm ground clearance (190mm for the 45 variant), segment-best 18-inch wheels, 50:50 weight distribution, and 450mm water wading capacity. It’s built on Tata’s Acti.ev platform, which allows a 11.6-litre frunk and 500-litre boot, expandable via split-folding seats.

The cabin shares much with the Nexon EV – dual screens, gloss black HVAC panel – but gets a new 4-spoke steering wheel and a textured dash. Light grey and ivory tones brighten up the space, though they’re hard to maintain. Front seats offer excellent comfort, ventilation, and electric adjustment.

However, practicality takes a hit – poor cupholder placement, hard-to-reach USB/12V ports, and limited armrest storage. The thick steering wheel isn’t the nicest to hold and has a sharp edge on the horn pad.

Rear legroom improves thanks to a longer wheelbase than the Nexon, but headroom suffers due to the sloping roofline. The reclining backrest and scooped headliner help, but taller passengers may struggle. Under-thigh support is also limited. Rear occupants get vents, USB-C port, and armrest with cupholders.

The front-mounted motor puts out 167hp (55 variant) and 215Nm. There are three drive modes – Eco, City, and Sport – with Sport offering the sharpest throttle response and a higher top speed of 160kph. We clocked a 0-100kph time of 9.6sec, slightly slower than Tata’s 8.6sec claim.

Eco and City offer more restrained but usable performance, with our 0-100kph test in Eco mode coming in at 11.6sec. NVH levels are well controlled. Fast charging is now improved – 70kW DC support for a 10-80% top-up in 40 minutes. A 7.2kW AC charger takes 8 hours for a full charge. It also supports standard 15A wall sockets. Regen braking has four levels, with one-pedal driving enabled in the highest setting.

Tata claims 400-425km under the C75 cycle. In our real-world test, we kept the car in Eco mode with regen set to Level 2 (city) and Level 1 (highway). We achieved 6.64km/kWh combined efficiency, translating to a real-world range of 365km.

The Curvv rides firmly at low speeds but feels composed as you go faster. Suspension absorbs bumps well but is audible over sharp edges. Handling is tidy, body roll is controlled, and the steering – though slightly heavy – feels direct. Cabin insulation is also impressive.

The Curvv EV is loaded. The 12.3-inch infotainment screen (shared with Nexon EV) includes Tata’s arcade.ev suite for streaming and gaming apps. The 10.25-inch digital cluster is colourful but cluttered. A neat addition is the blind view monitor, which can display in either screen.

New features include a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, gesture-controlled electric tailgate, a pedestrian warning sound, and Level 2 ADAS – the lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise worked well during our drive. Other highlights: JBL 9-speaker audio, 360-degree camera, cooled wireless charging, leatherette upholstery, connected car tech, V2V and V2L capabilities.

Top trims get six airbags, ESP, front and rear parking sensors, hill-assist, hill-descent control, and all-wheel disc brakes. The Curvv EV also gets a 5-star Bharat NCAP safety rating.

Priced between Rs 17.49-22.24 lakh (ex-showroom), the Curvv EV offers a significant step up from the Nexon EV and still manages to undercut the MG ZS EV. It aligns with top-end petrol/diesel midsize SUVs and includes a solid warranty – 8 years/1,60,000km on battery and motor, and 3 years/1,25,000km on the vehicle.