[mgastor2022grey]

Hey guys, hope everyone is in good health.
My friend has recently acquired a MG Hector, around April 2022. He has driven it for a good 24000 kms and the car is in brand new shape. However, he has a major issue: low mileage.

The Hector only gives around 11-12 kmpl in the city and 13-14 kmpl in the highway. He spends around Rs. 20000 on fuel costs alone per month (he drives a lot) and thinks it is a waste of money. So, he is contemplating if he should get a new small electric car or not.

He has a budget of around 10 lakhs, but prefers to keep it minimum. I have started a new thread as no existing thread can tell his dilemma. Though getting a new car is not the only option available, he thinks it is for the best. He is also open to other options such as saving on fuel costs, etc...

Till now, he has considered the MG Comet EV, Tiago EV, Tigor EV and the Citroen eC3. He is also open to other options.

He prioritizes on fuel savings and a bit on space. The car will be driven only in the city, so compact footprint is desired. Also, mostly, 3-4 people will be on board, so a little bit of comfort is also needed. Features and not a must, but the more, the better.

BHPians, please share your views on this matter and give the right suggestions. Thanks in advance!

[Shreyans_Jain]

At this time, Tiago EV is the car to buy as a cheap electric urban runabout. I will advise to wait, however. Punch EV’s launch is right around the corner, and it will be a better buy on account of much more space, better ergonomics and a significantly better ride quality (going by their ICE counterparts)

[CArspeed]

Tiago.ev if the purchase is immediate. I would urge you to wait for the Punch.ev.
I am also in the market for a pure City car as I live in a crowded part of city. I looked at many options right from ICE vehicles such as S presso, wagon R, Ignis and the Tiago.ev. I wanted features such as electric parking brake, cooled seats, auto dimming IRVM (which the Tiago.ev misses out) and a car in which we can easily get in and get out. Going by the market expectations, Punch.ev is likely to get all these features and much more.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

My friend has recently acquired a MG Hector, around April 2022. He has driven it for a good 24000 kms and the car is in brand new shape. However, he has a major issue: low mileage.

The Hector only gives around 11-12 kmpl in the city and 13-14 kmpl in the highway.

Only 11 - 12 ?? That is excellent FE from a big crossover. Your friend's running is 1300 km a month I guess (24000 divided by 18 months). So he is spending about 12000 on fuel every month. That's not out of the ordinary.

It doesn't make sense for him to buy an EV because of the depreciation & opportunity costs. Plus, after driving a Hector (known for great interiors), he will never be happy with an entry-level car + basic interiors + basic suspension. More so since you say there will be 4 people in the car!

Among the cheap EVs, the Tiago is the best, but I am very concerned about the problems being continuously reported on the Tiago EV thread. The Comet is too basic, while the eC3 has many compromises.

Voted for "other". Drive the Hector and spend 12k a month on fuel. Cheaper than buying a new car (depreciation, opportunity cost, insurance, maintenance, tyres, parking etc. etc.). Go out for one less fancy dinner but drive a better car everyday.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by GTO

Only 11 - 12 ?? That is excellent FE from a big crossover

Exactly my thoughts. Also, if you have gotten a 25 lakh car, enjoy it.

Imagine driving around in a basic cramped hatchback after being in the Hector for 25k kms.

Will be a major compromise, something I won't recommend.

[DustyWanderer]

I voted for Tiago EV, but I have a question. For 10 lakh rupees, he will get 9,803 liters of petrol, and if your friend is getting 11 kmpl as mileage, then he can drive for 1,07,843 km. Also, having one car for all your needs will help reduce pollution. So wouldn't it make sense not to buy another car just to save money spend on petrol?

[giri1.8]

Getting a new 10L worth EV to save few thousand rupees doesn't feel right. One has to pay two insurance instead of one, two annual service instead of one and the list goes on!

If his hector could fetch good resale, he can simply sell it and add those 10L to get an Toyota Hycross

[swami69]

I guess, your friend is looking to add an EV as a second car retaining the Hector. If so, similar to my use case, and I went with a Tiago EV. For many years, I have mostly driven rugged large cars like XUV, Crysta, Thar, Fortuner for my day to day Home-Office-Home (55 kms round trip) and only realized how easy and comfortable (add Fun factor) it is to drive a compact EV like Tiago for these daily trips. Not only it is easy and comfortable, a good amount of fuel savings too (10k/month). For my other usage like long drives etc., I bought a Kia Carens DCT.

If the use case is like above, a Tiago EV at around 10.5L (XT LR) is a fantastic car and good that I have not faced any niggles in 3 months and 3K kms of my ownership. Nice to drive, good AC, descent sound system, a practical range of approx 230 kms with AC always ON, good leg room, feels solid.

Swami

[Gotham_City]

Having an Audi (A4 40TFSI) and Tiago EV XT LR in my garage, I can vouch for Tiago EV as the near perfect car for urban driving.
Silent inside. Reasonably equipped (sound system is definitely above par for the segment). Accelerates faster than most of the ICE cars on the road. And supremely easy to park.
Range of 180-190 kms in Mumbai traffic (which one won't exceed even on outlier days of urban commute) which gets topped up every evening (when car is parked and put on charging).
All of this for 10.3 L on road in Mumbai.
What more one can expect. Can't even remember when I took the Audi out for within city travel.

[Eco_boost]

One of my acquaintances was in in the exact same dilemma. He has a Hector Plus (Petrol CVT)which gave only 4-6 kmpl in the city (Mumbai) and 8-10 kmpl on the highways. Ended up buying an Ertiga CNG last month as a second city car.
A lot of folks have bought the Hector, without knowing / researching the abysmal FE it gives in the city. Also MG doesn’t offer a Diesel AT, which is another reason customers are forced to pick a petrol auto for the convenience.
In my opinion, since the person concerned has already bought the Hector, he should assume the fuel bills are the substitute for the EMI he would pay on the new car to the bank.
Hector is a wonderful car

[Nonstop-driver]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

So, he is contemplating if he should get a new small electric car or not.

I'm actually in a very, very similar position. I had a diesel Creta which I sold to buy a used MG Hector petrol CVT related thread (Lateral upgrade dilemma - 2017 Creta to 2021 Hector). I was aware of the mileage and given my running of about 10,000km a year, I was fine with it. I'm getting 6-7kmpl in city, 13-14 on highway which I'm fine with, although the monthly fuel costs have doubled.

But I'm still contemplating a second small car for the following reasons:
1. I drop and pickup my daughter to/ from school everyday (8kms one way). Hector is too bulky for that.
2. My wife commutes to office 2-3 days a week. She prefers using an Uber but off late Uber's been an issue due to frequent cancelations.
3. I have only one parking in my apartment complex. A second parking costs Rs. 3000 a month/ 36,000 a year, more than what the car would cost in maintenance. But now the apartment complex has created a common parking right outside the gate. Its uncovered and semi-secure though.

So for second car, my criteria are 1) automatic 2) cheap to maintain 3) so boring that nobody would want to steal it

My initial choice was MG Comet for its size, but I'm struggling to justify the 10lakh price. I looked for a pre-used Comet but there aren't many in the market. Same for Tiago EV. But my search ended up with some lightly used Alto K10 AMT and Kwid AMT below 3 lakhs which I'm considering now. I could end up with a new as well if the price difference is not too much; yet to finalize.

While I agree EV driving dynamics are much better, the long term maintenance (including fuel) would still come out to be cheaper if you're comparing it against an entry level ICE car. Having said that, this would work only if the second car is primarily driven by someone other than your friend. As GTO said, your friend would not be able to drive Hector and Alto/ Comet simultaneously just because they are so vastly different. In that scenario, put the 10 lakh in an FD and the interest off that reduces your fuel costs

An out of the box suggestion - sell Hector and buy a Grand Vitara/ any other Hybrid. There will be a compromise on cabin, interiors and some features but you don't need to look at the fuel tank needle again

[condor]

10-11-12 kmpl in city for a petrol is not very low. The hector gives 11-12, while my lighter Gypsy gives me 10 in city. Wife's A-Star gives about 10 too.

Like GTO says, it's not out of ordinary.

However, if an EV at 10L is a Must, then Tiago

[UD17]

Originally Posted by GTO

Go out for one less fancy dinner but drive a better car everyday.

Bang on.

Your friend should have got himself the MG ZS EV at the first place, because low mileage of Hector is a known thing. Nevertheless he should now just enjoy the Hector experience.

Investing on EV just for the fuel saving does not make sense now (when already 20+ Lakh rupees are invested on Hector). He would have to cough up 10+ Lakh rupees on new EV (or any CNG car) and that equates to the fuel for more than 100K Kms. If you add other cost factors as GTO mentioned (Interest on loan, Insurance, RSA, parking, charging hassle, charging cost, tyres, battery and so on) then its no brainer that he should just enjoy current car.

[KeepReading]

If not particular on EV, waiting for Swift Hybrid can be one good option. It is supposed to be available in 2024 first half.

[satish.gawai]

Originally Posted by mgastor2022grey

Hey guys, hope everyone is in good health.
My friend has recently acquired a MG Hector, around April 2022. He has driven it for a good 24000 kms and the car is in brand new shape. However, he has a major issue: low mileage.

BHPians, please share your views on this matter and give the right suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Looking at the requirements, I suggest going for Tiago EV.

But the recommendation is to drive the Hector only instead of buying the new EV just for the sake of saving money for petrol. your friend is spending a decent amount on petrol for Hector. I heard more scary stories of Hector milege where owners are getting 8-9 KMPL.

Plus buying another car will cost him/her more than the fuel cost of Hector in the long run (don't just consider the purchase cost, there are many other costs associated with a vehicle, even for an EV)

It will be something to get a personal loan to clear your home loan.