Buying sub-4m SUV for city use: Should I get a petrol or go the EV way

A sub 4m car makes sense for occasional city use but wife is not high on another hatchback.

BHPian supertinu recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hey Folks, need some advice around what car to buy for my 2nd car. Let me set some context and background.

Current situation - We are a 2 car household. Primary car is our XUV700 D AT which we bought fairly recently 6m ago and its my daily driver as well as road trip companion. Our 2nd car is a 2012 Ford Figo which my wife uses mainly for school pickup/drop and once in a while errands.

Requirement - A sub 4m car makes sense for occasional city use but wife is not high on another hatchback, so after checking out small SUVs we did like the Skoda Kylaq. Usage of the car will be 100-200km per month max and I intend to keep the car for 15+yrs and hopefully with low maintenance so DSG cars are out of question. Despite being city car preference is to have something with 5 star safety rating and decent space for 4 adults. We could use it for airport hops or nearby day trips.

Now comes the confusion. Even then 2nd from top model of KYlaq in BLR costs around 15 lakhs and pricing of other SUVs like Nexon, Venue, Sonet are similar ranging from 15-18 lakhs on road. Top model of Punch EV LR is 15 lakh and so is Nexon EV MR.

What does the forum think? Would EV make more sense here given its more future ready, no emissions, hopefully lower maintenance? Would battery last 15yrs given that charge cycles will be less? My apt allows charging socket in parking which makes it easier to handle charging.

Here's what BHPian It's Magic replied:

With a monthly running of 100–200 km, I would recommend sticking with petrol cars and not opting for EVs. EVs make more sense for high usage, such as annual running exceeding 15,000 or 20,000 km.

Looking at your post, it seems you are more inclined towards the top-end variant of any car. In that case, you would need to be prepared to pay upwards of 12 lakhs for most of the compact SUV options available. If you both like the Skoda Kodiaq, you can go for it. It’s got a 5-star safety rating, which is essential for you, and it’s a very good car to drive. The only thing I would advise you to check is the proximity of a Skoda service centre to your location.

In my opinion, a hatchback suits your requirements better and would save you money as well. It would be easier to drive in the city. For long drives, you already have the Mahindra XUV700.

Best Wishes!

Here's what BHPian yedukrishnan199 replied:

Now, considering your requirements, a small EV doesn't make much sense if you are paying a premium for it over its ICE counterpart, so EVs like the Tiago.EV, Tigor.EV, Punch.EV, etc cost a lot more (at least 1.50 to 2 lakhs) than their ICE counterparts with similar feature sets and considering your low running, the extra investment isn't worth it. Moreover, considering decent space, the Comet EV is also out of the question.

That leaves ICE cars and a few EVs with prices similar to their ICE counterparts. So the cars like Nexon, Curvv, Creta, etc come up to the picture, but as they get more and more expensive when going towards the top-end variants, where the prices of the ICE and EV are the same.

For example, taking the Nexon as an example, the Nexon Creative 1.2 Petrol AMT costs 14.81 lakhs OTR, whereas the Creative 45 EV costs almost the same at 14.88 lakhs OTR in this case, the EV is a good option to consider owing to lower fuel costs. lower service costs and the like, but still the chance of it lasting 15 years is a question.

Similar is the case of the Curvv, where the Creative Plus Hyperion GDI Petrol DCA costs the same as the Accomplished 55 OTR, around 20.80 lakhs.

Ditto the Creta and the Creta EV as well.

So in these cases, although you could get an ICE or its similar EV counterpart for the same price on-road, where the EV seems a good option owing to lower fuel costs, your requirement for maintaining it for a long time, 15 years, is what makes the decision difficult for the EV.

EV technology is improving at a rapid pace, and the current EVs will get outdated in a few years, so they don't hold their value for long. Usually, EVs tend to last for around 8 to 10 years or more, but 15 seems a bit too much to expect.

So you could either go for these EVs, which are at par on price on the road with ICE cars, or you could go for ICE cars, which usually should hold their value for longer.

Regardless, here are the best options for your needs:

1. Tata Punch Creative Plus (S) AMT
It costs under 13 lakhs OTR and should be a better pick as compared to its EV counterpart, owing to the price difference of over 2 lakhs. a small, safe car (5-star GNCAP) that is an all-rounder and one of the best-selling cars from Tata.

2. Skoda Kylaq Signature Plus AT
At 15.36 lakhs OTR, the Kylaq is a small but fun SUV and should meet all your needs to the T.

3. Tata Nexon EV 45
The Nexon EV 45 is a great choice currently when compared to its ICE counterparts and is priced quite well, and is an option worth considering.

Other options are the XUV 3XO AT and Nexon AMT, which are quite expensive considering the higher-spec AT variants.

Here's what BHPian sharmanova replied:

Your requirements scream the Hyundai Exter AMT!

Sub-4M - check
Low maintenance - check
Reliability - check
Space - check

Here's what BHPian IshaanIan replied:

If you want to keep the car for another 15+ years there is no point looking at 1st generation EV products right now. If it absolutely must be an SUV, then do look into more practical options like the Jimny, Brezza etc. at the end of the day these are NA motors that will definitely have fewer issues than direct injection turbo charged motors. The Jimny is also one of the narrowest vehicles currently available to buy. That coupled with its looks (middle class g-wagon) makes it very popular amongst mothers and wives.

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