[callmeneo]

Why not buy something like a Creta/Alcazar and then remote start it from your phone every 15 days to keep the air inside the car fresh and circulated and also recharge the batteries? Not possible?

[Aviator_guy]

Stick to Petrol model and preferably the one with less electronics gizmos so that there is no issue with unnecessary battery drain and fuel injector related issues. Also beware that rodents may also inflict serious damage, so park the car in a safe place.

In case you have someone trustworthy who could start and drive the car for a short period once in a while, that should help.

One of my relatives has a Seltos IVT (petrol automatic) which is not used for weeks together (sometimes even more than a month) but he never faced any issue.

[naikameya]

GTO has the best answer if your concern is just battery drain. All cars will have battery drain after 2 months idle. Some will have it earlier, but it has a more straightforward solution. Trickle charger if you have a source in the parking area or remove the battery. A removed battery after a long time can also drain, but then you can always keep a trickle charger at home and keep it connected.

[souvikjana83]

Any petrol Maruti will be good. But go with pure petrol cars and not hybrids. Battery performance and capacity decreases a lot if not used frequently.

[sumeethaldankar]

If the period of non usage is going to be long you will need to worry about stuff like rodents etc which are a menance to parked cars especially ones that do not move much. I would therefore suggest a simple car like a Wagon R with little electrical gizmos etc to own. Also use anti-rat spray etc to keep the rats at bay so as not to get nasty suprises when you are back in town.

[Ton Ami]

Originally Posted by Bit

Experts,
My budget is between 15 to 25 lacs for a spacious vehicle across segments, current contenders are i20, XUV 300, Creta, Hector, and XUV 700.

You shall also consider Innova Crysta. May be a stretch of budget but the resale value, reliability and comfort will remain unmatched for years.

[kinetic]

Honestly I'd worry less about the make-model of the car, and follow GTO's advice on a battery tender or just disconnecting the battery.

The other items to consider are a good quality car cover + some rodent deterrent solution to keep your wiring in good shape.

[wooka]

Just get a solar 3-5W charger like I have (an AA model from the UK.)

I got fed up of thar battery drain problems.
The park time lapse dashcam was the culprit.

This fixes it long term.

[Wakeupsid]

Considering your requirements, i wouldn't want to think much about starting issue after a long time period. The amount you are spending is bit high so stick to a car that satisfies you rather than one odd scenario. Like others mentioned before me, stick to petrol in this scenario, and if EV fits your use case go for it.

And for the trickle charger, thats a very specific option unless you have a dedicated parking, albeit a closed one with a power socket. Also a jump start would cost around 200 rs, so shouldn't be a big issue, unless you live somewhere remotely.

I own a 2011 chevy beat diesel, which would discharge the battery every 4-5 days, courtesy rat bites and improper wiring connections, and it took 3 years to find a technician who fixed the issue. So during those years, jump start was getting expensive, so I use to hook up the car battery to my home inverter to charge and after that i never paid a dime for jump start. A option if you have a inverter and dont want to spend on any accessories.

In your case what i would say is worry more about idle time factor that can lead to rat bites, a unused car is a luxury vacation home for rats and resulting rat bites. So you actually might want to invest in car that has remote engine ignition option to ensure rats dont settle in.

Again just my 2 cents.

Thanks
Sid

[Small Bot]

Like many others here, I would also suggest a reliable Japanese car to store at home. On top of that, I would suggest to not go for more than the base or mid variants. Mainly because you'll not need such features that much when idle, and most of the base and mid variants of sub-25 Lakhs Honda, Toyota and Maruti cars are mechanically and safety-wise well-sorted.
I have owned Hyundais for almost two decades and the earlier generation models used to last long even when kept idle for extended periods, but the newer Korean cars are probably not as reliable for keeping idle. So I would suggest to stick to the trio of Honda-Suzuki-Toyota, in that order.

[100Kmphormore]

Why not just rent a car? Additional to service worries the paint may not endure due to the elements and rodents would have a gala time.

[PaddleShifter]

Whatever you choose, do not buy a Hybrid or an EV (I guess that part is clear to most anyway).

Cars that are sparingly used need to be petrol cars. If they are hybrid, the Li-ion battery wont survive for long. You can check internet for more detailed info.

I would also try to stick to a naturally aspirated engine (Honda City for example), instead of a turbo as one of our cars recently suffered from vaccum leak owing to damage to a pipe from the intercooler. Cars that are used very less tend to undergo a wear and tear as well.

[Senotrius]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Why not just rent a car? Additional to service worries the paint may not endure due to the elements and rodents would have a gala time.

This seems like a nice idea. The other obvious option being to go for a Jap small car.