[kamalgaur]

I'm in a bit of a quandary and needed advice...

I sold my Honda City in Feb 2023 after a long 13 years, and so far, I've been renting bikes for my daily commute (and loving the experience).

My heart has been set on getting an EV as my next car since years now, and I would love to buy an EV I'm in love with, but haven't found one within budget yet. Haven't tried the Tata Tiago or Tigor, but I found the Nexon okay-ish at best. Same goes for the XUV400 - okay at best. The MG ZS is nice, but feels very bland - and I refuse to pay 28L for a car with such a shitty reverse camera. I also test drove the BYD Atto 3, and even though I kinda liked it, 36L is too much for a car that doesn't spark joy - and I thought the audio system was flat and I hated it. My budget for the perfect EV will be 35-ish, but want to avoid crossing 40L.

That said, patience is not a problem, and I would happily wait for the perfect EV, but life has now changed in a way that I will need a car handy (especially on weekends). The car will be used mostly city driving with 2 ppl (< 200 km/month) and maybe a weekend trip (~500-700 km/month) once a month.

I don't want a sedan or a hatchback, but I'm good with any small-mid-large SUV/MUV type of a car.

Objective is to not spend too much on it now (10-15L?) but also something which will give me decent-to-good value when I sell it in the next 2-3 years to upgrade to the ideal EV.

Happy to be guided by experts here in terms of what I should consider vs not...

[Axe77]

Personally I think the MG ZS EV is a great bet if you combine price and offering its available at. Perhaps you can even consider if the reverse camera can be improved with some after market solution. You really might want to give it another consideration. But assuming you are sure this is not something you want to go for, here are two diametrically opposite suggestions.

1. Nexon EV:

Buy this now as a stop gap, it will be really nice to drive and hopefully is now established and popular enough as well to have some takers when you want to sell it a few years down the line assuming your dream EV is launched by then. No point breaking the bank and spending too much if this is stop gap so you minimize what you lose by depreciation and resale.

2. Ioniq EV:

I know you mentioned a max budget of 40L. But perhaps you can give this car a test drive and see if this fits that dream EV description. In my mind, its one of the best VFM EVs available in the market today which genuinely has an extremely high desirability quotient. Its very peppy, a ground up EV, has great interiors, looks like nothing else on the market (including its platform shared sibling). It might just be that perfect EV that you’re looking for.

Advantage Ioniq:
You bust your budget a bit today but you’re driving an EV you love (assuming it appeals to you) from the word go, without losing any money in flipping a stop gap EV for that perfect EV on the horizon. There is nothing specific in your mind perhaps that you’re waiting for. This is available here and now. Give it a shot and if it really appeals to you, consider biting the bullet today itself rather than wait.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Refresh model ZS EVs are available for 22-25L here in Delhi, about 1 year old and absolutely clean cars. Should be similar in other metro cities as well. That, I think, is a reasonable price for the car on merit without an unusually high EV premium.

Otherwise, the ideal EV to be had is the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Costs close to 50L, but it is the one to have.

[kamalgaur]

Realised I wasn't clear on my ask... the 15L budget I have right now is for a non-EV, which I'm willing to go in for, provided it'll give me good resale in 2-3 yrs time when I upgrade to an EV.

So which non-EVs should I be considering in this case?

[Jangra]

Your budget of 40lacs today at 7% interest rate is almost 50lacs in the next 3 years. With the way car prices are increasing, it is fair to assume that Ionic 5 will be more of the 55lac plus category. You do not pay RTO today, but who is to say you won't 3 years later for an EV?
You already have a fat budget for an EV, why wait? Any particular reason?
The reason for the question is, MG ZS EV will be all you want from an EV. I recently test-drove a facelifted model and the joy of driving, torque from the get-go, and plush interiors, it almost matched the driving experience of my Kodiaq.
And if you pay more - 47lacs can get you Ionic 5 and there is absolutely nothing like in today in sub 50lac. In Europe, Kia EV6 and Ionic are similarly priced, but since you buy a CKD Ionic 5 in India, you save almost 20 lacs over EV6. Not sure if RTO kicks in 3 years later - Ionic 5 could be out of reach from a Budget perspective.

That being said, if you really want to wait for 3 years for an EV, in 15 lacs, please get Brezza / Venue / Sonet. Its a fast-moving model and would be easy to sell in 3 years. I'm not clear from your post if you want to buy a Manual or an automatic, hence not recommending any particular variant. Enjoy shopping

[bijims]

Originally Posted by kamalgaur

Realised I wasn't clear on my ask... the 15L budget I have right now is for a non-EV, which I'm willing to go in for, provided it'll give me good resale in 2-3 yrs time when I upgrade to an EV.

So which non-EVs should I be considering in this case?

15 lakhs gives you plenty of options in the Compact SUV space, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Maruti Brezza are available in their mid to top trims, also the base manual variants of the VW Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, MS Grand Vitara, Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Toyota Hyryder are also available.

Considering the fact that you are looking for good resale in 2-3 years, the recently updated and top selling SUVs would your best bet, so with Nexon, Creta, Seltos and Sonet due a facelift within a year, they are best avoided for better resale.

Moreover Taigun and Kushaq aren't known for good resale either, so that leaves you with the Hyundai Venue and Maruti Brezza in the sub 4 metre category and the MS Grand Vitara and Toyota Hyryder in the above 4 metre SUV category.

So, any option among these four would definitely provide good resale and would be a good buy at the moment.

[deep_bang]

If you are looking to buy a car and sell in 3 years, financially it's best to buy a used car.
Look for a used xuv/safari class around 10/12 lakh for a 4 to 5 year old car. Else a brezza would be my next best choice with the Maruti element for easier selling.

[shancz]

Try the Hyundai Ioniq 5. No driving experience but that is one EV that has captivated my attention.

If you buy a 15 lakh car now, selling it 2-3 years down the line will fetch you around 10 lakhs so that's a loss of 5 lakhs.
Add that to your budget and you've 45 lakhs.
The Ioniq sells around the 52 lakh mark.
Either get it now before the subsidies are revised(as per some reports) or wait for your dream SUV.

That's your call but I would strongly recommend a test drive of the Ioniq 5.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by kamalgaur

The MG ZS is nice, but feels very bland - and I refuse to pay 28L for a car with such a shitty reverse camera.

SUV or not, at the end of the day it is a hatchback so how important does the reverse camera really need to be?

The new Maruti Fronx seems like it would suit your requirements in the meantime I suppose.

[SeniorC]

Buy top end versions of sub compact CSUVs like Nexon, Brezza, Venue or Sonet. All these are fairly kitted and should get a decent resale value three to four years down the line.

Although not sure which EVs are forthcoming in Rs 30-35 lakh range in the next three years or so. You could consider buying an EV now and save on loss on sale of an ICE car, which adds up your car ownership costs.

[BleueNinja]

Originally Posted by kamalgaur

Realised I wasn't clear on my ask... the 15L budget I have right now is for a non-EV, which I'm willing to go in for, provided it'll give me good resale in 2-3 yrs time when I upgrade to an EV.

So which non-EVs should I be considering in this case?

Non-EV, Good resale value and a crossover body style : Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara / Hyundai Creta.

These are your two best options given your requirements.

[GoBabyGo]

Originally Posted by kamalgaur

I'm in a bit of a quandary and needed advice...

I sold my Honda City in Feb 2023 after a long 13 years, and so far, I've been renting bikes for my daily commute (and loving the experience).

My heart has been set on getting an EV as my next car since years now, and I would love to buy an EV I'm in love with, but haven't found one within budget yet. Haven't tried the Tata Tiago or Tigor, but I found the Nexon okay-ish at best. Same goes for the XUV400 - okay at best. The MG ZS is nice, but feels very bland - and I refuse to pay 28L for a car with such a shitty reverse camera. I also test drove the BYD Atto 3, and even though I kinda liked it, 36L is too much for a car that doesn't spark joy - and I thought the audio system was flat and I hated it. My budget for the perfect EV will be 35-ish, but want to avoid crossing 40L.

That said, patience is not a problem, and I would happily wait for the perfect EV, but life has now changed in a way that I will need a car handy (especially on weekends). The car will be used mostly city driving with 2 ppl (< 200 km/month) and maybe a weekend trip (~500-700 km/month) once a month.

I don't want a sedan or a hatchback, but I'm good with any small-mid-large SUV/MUV type of a car.

Objective is to not spend too much on it now (10-15L?) but also something which will give me decent-to-good value when I sell it in the next 2-3 years to upgrade to the ideal EV.

Happy to be guided by experts here in terms of what I should consider vs not...

Hi Kamalgaur - Just like you, I am also waiting for a good EV to buy as my second car. I am not going to buy Tiago or Tigor EV as I find its interior already dated. With a budget of 17-18 lacs, right now I would suggest you to buy ICE car (either City or Turbo petrol Verna/Virtus/Slavia) because your requirement is immediate and your running is very low.

I am very optimistic from 2025 onwards, we will be getting excellent EV cars & SUVs on dedicated EV platform and in next two years, we will have better batteries on EVs. However, we may not have FAME II and state Govt. subsidies.

If you still want to buy EV, then wait for Punch EV, which is expected to launch in July 2023 (hopefully) and I feel if Tata launch it at realistic price, then it will be good for you (however, not suitable for your daily/weekly & yearly running, which is too low to own an EV)

[Piyush Kanthak]

Looking at your budget of 40 lakhs, I would strongly suggest you to look into Hyundai Ioniq 5, take a test drive, you might find your self booking the car, it's unique and might be your dream EV too. Waiting will just increase the price of the vehicle. Just give it a try.

If you are still hesitant, get a Brezza, it has great resale value.
If you are open to the used market then get a car from there, it's not advisable to buy a new car only for 3 years.

[shyampsunder]

I hated the reverse camera on the MG ZS EV as well but to be honest, it's something that has grown on me. The 360 degree view is very useful and has been more than sufficient for parking.

The excite is a much more VFM car at around 24L if you are not into sunroofs.

But I will definitely suggest buying one car now and holding it for a long time rather than an interim car which rapidly depreciates in value and then buying a higher price for a new EV few years down the line when the road tax exemptions may not exist. In Bangalore that can be as high as 18%!

Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the most VFM car in India in my opinion, it's a globally loved product and I would definitely suggest you to TD it before making your final decision.

[Caffeinated]

For a stop-gap solution, a Brezza will suit your purpose, as it will hold its value extremely well, due to good mileage, and Maruti peace-of-mind. After 3 years, you can decide if you want it as a secondary, ICE car in addition to Eav, or sell it off at a good price.

Ps : If you are flexible with variant and color, dealers can work out a speedy delivery.