Tata Nexon EV Empowered+ A 45 Dark

The Tata Nexon EV will be the ideal choice for your requirements. The Fearless 45 version gets you the bigger 45kWh battery pack with a real-world range of 350km and it has a good set of features along with an excellent ride that will come close to the Duster you owned. It is stable on the highway, the charging network is growing rapidly and as a city car, it offers the lowest running costs in comparison to ICE. 

While the Tata Punch EV is a good all-rounder, it is perhaps a size too small for a family of 5 or to be chauffeur driven in. The Mahindra XUV 3XO EV and Windsor have far more spacious cabins, but then the Mahindra is low on boot space when it comes to your 180-200km round trip. However, this would still be our pick as it has a spacious cabin for 5, tough chassis and comfortable ride quality. 

The Windsor may be more spacious on the whole, but its suspension and ride are quite stiff, and its large touchscreen, which controls the entire car, is full of bugs and glitches. Moreover, in standard guise, it has a very low range, and you would have to move up to the Pro version, which will increase your budget. Also consider the Tata Nexon EV, which, though expensive, feels like a more complete car than any of these.

The Hyundai Creta Electric is the most practical, sensible, and most sorted EV out of the options listed. It is practical, spacious, and it drives well too. Moreover, it is very efficient, hence you can expect over 400km of range without trying too hard. Since you are looking at a long-term buy, it is the Hyundai's ownership experience that's likely to be fuss-free.

The Tata Nexon EV 45's real-world range isn't likely to be as good as the Creta Electric's. The Mahindra BE 6 is the most radical option with excellent performance, battery and range. However, its user-experience is simply too complicated, its ergonomics are flawed, and backseat space isn't as good as the others.

Short-term resale values of EVs are not as good as those of ICE cars. However, since you are likely to hold on to your car for 10 years, resale should be the least of your concerns. 

For your daily running, an electric car will do just fine, assuming you can charge your car at home, your place or work. For your highway family trips too, it will do just fine if they are about 250 to 300 kms. However, any more than that or if the route involves lots of hills, then you will need to top up. You will need to plan your travel accordingly to make sure there are sufficient chargers on your route, as they can be occupied or even not working at times. 

With your Rs 15 lakh budget, you should consider the Tata Nexon EV Long Range version. Furthermore, the Nexon will also satisfy your requirement of safety as it is very well equipped and secured a 5-star BNCAP crash rating. 

For your daily running of 100kms, an EV will do just fine, but you will have to charge it daily or at least every alternate day. Thus, we would recommend this only if you have access to reliable charging at either your home or place of work. Since you are looking for an SUV body style, you can consider buying the Tata Nexon EV or the recently unveiled electric Mahindra XUV3XO. 

If charging is an issue, a CNG would be a better choice; the CNG Brezza is a good performer. Do bear in mind that the CNG tank does eat into the boot space. 

If you would like to have a usable boot, then consider the Nexon CNG. It has dual CNG tanks below the floor, thus leaving you with an open and very usable boot.