If your running is less, the extra money you invest in an EV, which is itself more expensive than an ICE car, is not justified. This is further accentuated by the lack of charging infrastructure in India.
With a budget of Rs. 15 lakh, only entry-level EVs will make it to your garage. These EVs have a relatively smaller battery pack and a real-world range of a maximum of 250 kilometres. Then what about your occasional long drives out of town? You will be riddled with range anxiety. Some options within your budget include the Punch EV Long Range, Nexon EV Medium Range and the Mahindra XUV400 EV with some good discounts will also fall within your budget.
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Best Car Around Rs. 15 Lakh For Occasional Use: Why To Avoid EVs in this price range?
We have always maintained the stance that if you are in the market for buying an electric car as your primary vehicle, go with something that can deliver a real-world range of over 350 kilometres. This will also sort your long drives to some extent but anything less than this is a strict no for your primary car.
The electric cars around Rs. 15 lakh can deliver around 250 kilometres at best on a single charge and yes, these are the cars mentioned above.
If we go into the financial aspect of this, an EV commands a minimum premium of 30% over the ICE model. This extra cost can only be justified if you can save this extra amount spent initially on your fuel bills. With less running, you won’t be able to reach the break-even point.
Best Car Around Rs. 15 Lakh For Occasional Use: Why No Diesel?
The diesel of the current BS Phase 2 era has a lot of extra components going in to keep the emissions in check. The DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) clogging is a known issue and is faced with cars running primarily in city conditions.
While the reliable and efficient 1.5 litre CRDi diesel engine in Hyundai and Kia cars is a good option in this budget, the premium over the petrol counterpart is a good Rs. 1.5 lakh on the ex-showroom price. This extra cost will be hard to justify if you are doing anything less than 2000 kilometres every month. This means that diesel is also out of the equation.
Best Car Around Rs. 15 Lakh For Occasional Use: The Solution
A good reliable petrol engine is what will suit best for occasional use. No range anxiety, no DPF woes and you don’t need to pay anything extra. I will suggest the people who are buying a car for less running and primary city use to go for a naturally aspirated motor. The simple reliable setup will be easy to maintain in the long run and the better low-end power delivery will sort your city drives.
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Best Car Around Rs. 15 Lakh For Occasional Use: The Options Within The Budget
Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Petrol Mild-Hybrid
The Grand Vitara is a sorted package and it gets the reliable 1.5 litre K15C petrol engine mated to the 48V mild-hybrid system. It can deliver a fuel efficiency of around 15-17 kmpl in city drives and you can easily stretch to 19-20 kmpl on highways. Within Rs. 15 lakh, you can get the Delta and even the Zeta manual trims which are adequately loaded. Maruti Suzuki is also offering some good discounts currently and will likely continue to do so in the coming months. If automatic is what you are looking at, the Delta AT can also fit your bill. The resale value aspect is also sorted with Grand Vitara.
Hyundai Creta NA Petrol
The Hyundai’s naturally aspirated 1.5-litre motor is also a reliable choice, however, it won’t be as fuel-efficient as the Grand Vitara. Expect around 13-15 kmpl in the city and on the highways, up to 18 kmpl is quite achievable. On the tech part, it is more feature-loaded than Grand Vitara. The S manual variant will fit within your budget. If automatic is your choice, then you will be disappointed to know that Hyundai only offers the CVT gearbox from the S(O) variant onwards with a starting price of Rs. 15.86 lakh (ex-showroom). In the resale value aspect, the Creta stands a notch below and the costs of spare parts is also high as compared to Maruti Suzuki.
