What owners actually say
Never the maker's marketing, and never only the good news.
Crash tests, long-term reviews and owner reports, distilled per car.
How these scores are made
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Hatchbacks
17 of 17 researched
Tata Altroz
Excellent safetyFive Bharat NCAP stars across petrol, diesel and CNG, not just one variant
Diesel DPF trouble at roughly 8,000 km intervals in mostly short city driving, progressing to oil dilution

Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Excellent resale valueThe best interior quality Maruti has managed, with soft-touch surfaces and rich plastic textures
Three stars for child occupant protection at Bharat NCAP

Maruti Suzuki Wagon R
Excellent real-world economyA genuinely roomy cabin for the money, with the tall-boy shape making it easy to get in and out of
One star for adults and zero for children at Global NCAP in 2023, the weakest crash result in this catalogue

Maruti Suzuki Swift
Excellent resale valueSix airbags, ESP, hill-hold, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX as standard equipment
No Bharat NCAP result has been published for the India-built car, and the Euro NCAP three stars are for the Japan-built model

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios
Excellent resale valueHolds its value better than anything else in its segment, with the petrol-AMT the strongest of the lot
Two stars from Global NCAP for both adults and children, with the bodyshell and footwell rated unstable, and no newer Bharat NCAP result to replace it

Hyundai i20
Good running costsOwners reaching six years and 43,000 km with nothing failing
Global NCAP called the bodyshell unstable and flagged weak chest protection for the driver

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10
Good reliabilityEasy, light and genuinely cheap to run in city traffic
AMT pulls away jerkily in traffic and on inclines

Tata Tiago
Average reliabilityFeels sturdier and better built than the price suggests, a reputation it has held since launch
The air conditioning takes its time and loses ground in stop-start traffic, which owners name as the main irritation

Maruti Suzuki S-Presso
Excellent reliabilityRuns for years with nothing but consumables
One star for adults and zero for children at Global NCAP, on a structure the testers called unstable

Citroen eC3X
Good real-world economyRide comfort is the standout: it smooths over broken city roads better than anything else at the money
No stability control on any variant, at any price, which is what Global NCAP singled out and is still true

Renault Kwid
Excellent reliabilityCheap to buy, cheap to run and cheap to keep, which is the whole point of it
Never crash tested in the specification sold today, and the last India-spec test, ten years ago, found an unstable passenger cell

Toyota Glanza
Excellent reliabilityMechanically trouble-free over long ownerships, with owners reporting none of the rattles they expected
Touchscreen lags, freezes and drops phone pairings

Hyundai i20 N Line
Good reliabilityThe handling is what owners lead with: Team-BHP reports call it intuitive and genuinely fun, to the point that more expensive cars start to feel flat afterwards
No crash programme has published a result naming the i20 N Line. The 3-star Global NCAP rating you will find belongs to the base i20, measured on the two-airbag car in April 2022 under rules since retired, so it does not describe this one

Citroen C3X
Average reliabilityRide quality is what owners and reviewers both lead with: it soaks up broken roads better than almost anything at this price
No crash programme has published a result for the petrol C3X. The zero-star Global NCAP rating you will find belongs to the electric eC3 and the five-star Bharat NCAP rating belongs to the larger C3 Aircross, so neither tells you about this car

Tata Tiago EV
Average reliabilityHigh mileage owners report the motor and battery giving no trouble, one at 47,000km over three years and another at 38,000km
No crash test result exists for the Tiago EV, from any programme, and the petrol car's four star rating does not transfer to it

MG Comet EV
Good reliabilityBuild quality that surprises owners, with no rattles or squeaks reported even after rough roads
No crash-test rating from any programme, so its safety is genuinely unknown rather than merely modest

Maruti Suzuki Celerio
Average safetyGenuinely frugal, and the AMT is the efficient one rather than the compromise
Global NCAP rated the bodyshell unstable even on the three-star car
Sedans
12 of 12 researched
Maruti Suzuki Dzire
Excellent safetyFive-star Bharat NCAP protection for adults and children, on the base variant upwards
The 81 hp, 112 Nm three-cylinder is down on the outgoing four-cylinder and feels it

Hyundai Verna
Excellent safetyFive stars from Global NCAP for adults and children, under the stricter 2022 rules, on the base car
Global NCAP judged the bodyshell unstable, and noted a child seat failure after the side impact

Tata Tigor
Good resale valueSecond only to the Dzire for holding its value among compact sedans
Fit and finish lets it down, with rattles from the B and C pillars over poor surfaces reported repeatedly

Honda Amaze - 2nd Gen
Good running costsCheap and predictable to service, at roughly Rs 5,600 a year on ZigWheels' five-year figure
Two Global NCAP stars for adults and zero for children under the current protocol, against five Bharat NCAP stars for the 3rd generation sold beside it

Honda City
Good real-world economyThe e:HEV hybrid returns around 21 km/l on a magazine test loop, the best of any petrol car Autocar India has tested
There is no Bharat NCAP rating for this generation, and the ratings in circulation belong to the previous generation or to the Thailand-built car

Tata Tigor EV
Good reliabilityFour stars for both adults and children from Global NCAP, on the two airbag specification actually sold
Global NCAP judged the bodyshell and footwell unstable, and rated driver protection only adequate

Volkswagen Virtus
Excellent safetyFive stars for both adult and child occupants from Global NCAP, 29.71 of 34 and 42 of 49
Long-term dual-clutch reliability on the 1.5 TSI still unproven, and a replacement is expensive if it goes

Skoda Slavia
Excellent safetyFive stars for adults and children alike under Global NCAP's updated protocol, the highest score recorded at the time
Air conditioning that owners say has to be set two or three degrees lower than it should to cool properly

Honda Amaze
Excellent safetyFive stars for adult protection at Bharat NCAP, the first Honda the programme tested
Four stars rather than five for child occupant protection

Hyundai Aura
Excellent real-world economyInterior quality and fit that reviewers rate the best in the compact sedan class
No Bharat NCAP rating and no Global NCAP star rating for the India-market car, so its crash performance is untested rather than merely average

Toyota Camry
Excellent safetyThe hybrid system is genuinely seamless, and in Eco it will run on battery far more of the time than you expect, even on the highway
The steering tells you very little, so it is a car to be carried in rather than one to enjoy driving

BYD SEAL
Excellent safetyGenuinely rapid: the Performance version claims 0 to 100 kmph in 3.7 seconds
145 mm of ground clearance is low, and you will be picking your way over the worse speed breakers
SUVs
78 of 78 researched
Tata Nexon EV
Excellent safetyFive-star Bharat NCAP result, 29.86 of 32 for adults and 44.95 of 49 for children
Charger red-light fault that owners report returning even after the charger is replaced

Tata Punch
Excellent safetyFive-star Bharat NCAP protection on the 2026 facelift, 30.58 of 32 for adults
Fit and finish: panel gaps and rattles reported as a daily annoyance

Tata Nexon
Excellent safetyFive-star Bharat NCAP crash protection for adults and children alike
Recurring electrical faults, including a recalled PEPS ESCL part on May 2023 cars

Tata Punch EV
Excellent safetyBharat NCAP adult score of 31.09 of 32 on the facelift, standard across variants
Real-world range of 304 km on Autocar India's test against a 468 km claim for the 40 kWh car

Tata Harrier
Excellent safetyFive-star Bharat NCAP result, 30.08 of 32 for adults, among the first cars India tested
Rattles from door pads and the B-pillar reported across multiple long-term owners

Tata Safari
Excellent safetyFive Bharat NCAP stars and a Global NCAP Safer Choice Award
Infotainment and cluster glitches, including screens blanking while driving

Maruti Suzuki Fronx
Excellent running costsFuel economy is the headline: Autocar India's long-termer sat around 18kpl and owners report 15kpl in mixed traffic and 22kpl on a long run
No Bharat NCAP rating, and the two overseas tests of the India-built car disagree by three stars

Hyundai Creta
Good running costsEngines and gearboxes that long-term testers and owners alike report needing nothing but scheduled servicing
No crash rating exists for the India-spec car on sale today

Tata Harrier EV
Excellent safetyMaximum 32 of 32 Bharat NCAP adult protection score
Real-world range of 401km against a 622km claim on Autocar India's test

Hyundai Venue
Excellent safetyFive-star Bharat NCAP result, 31.15 of 32 for adults, and it applies to every variant including the N Line
Petrol versions lose value much faster than the diesel manual in years four and five

Toyota Fortuner
Excellent resale valueTop of the premium SUV segment for resale value in Autocar India's study with OLX Autos
Expensive to buy, which is the trade the resale value is there to offset

Maruti Suzuki Brezza
Excellent safetyFive-star Bharat NCAP protection for adults and children
Feels top-heavy through corners, with steering Autocar India describes as disconnected

MG ZS EV
Excellent running costsBattery holding about 95 percent of its health past 70,000 km, on one owner's service report, with no sign of a cliff
No Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP result exists for the India-spec car. The famous five star rating is Euro NCAP's, awarded to the European version, which is sold with radar and autonomous emergency braking that the Indian car does not get

Jeep Compass
Good safetyRides better over broken roads than almost anything at the price, and gets flatter the faster you go
One engine, a diesel, which is awkward where diesels face a ten year limit such as Delhi NCR

Mahindra Thar
Good safetyFour stars for children at 41.11 of 49, the best any made-in-India car achieved in that round of Global NCAP testing
Two airbags across the range, which is what the crash test measured and is behind most rivals at the price

Mahindra Scorpio-N
Good safetyThe 2.2 mHawk diesel and its gearbox, still smooth and strong at 50,000 to 65,000 km
Software and electronics niggles: instrument clusters going blank, Android Auto and CarPlay dropping out, hill hold assist that does not always engage

Maruti Suzuki Jimny
Average running costsGenuinely capable off road, with 210 mm of ground clearance and low-range four-wheel drive
No Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP crash result exists for the Indian car, so there is no independent safety rating

Mahindra XEV 9e
Excellent safetyA perfect 32 of 32 for adult protection from Bharat NCAP, the first car to score it, with 45 of 49 for children
Software has been the sore point since launch, with features sold on the brochure arriving months later

Mahindra BE 6
Excellent safetyFive-star Bharat NCAP result with 31.97 of 32 for adults, and the rating covers the 59 kWh cars as well as the 79 kWh one
Software has been the weak point since launch: features promised at purchase arrived late, and The Ken found buyers across six cities waiting on them

Tata Curvv EV
Excellent safetyRefinement is the thing owners and testers keep coming back to: no vibration, no idle thrum, just a smooth surge
Real range lands roughly 25 percent short of the 502km claim in every published full-charge test

Volkswagen Taigun
Excellent safetyFive stars for both adult and child occupants from Global NCAP, 29.64 of 34 and 42 of 49
Driver's side power window reported as hesitant, the most commonly repeated niggle

Skoda Kushaq
Excellent safetyFive stars for both adults and children under Global NCAP's updated protocol, among the first Indian-built cars to manage it
Early cars drew a run of electrical and fuel system complaints, including engine warning lights and failed fuel pumps

Kia Seltos
Excellent safetyRide comfort, the old car's weak point, retuned so it no longer crashes over broken roads
Styling that reviewers call divisive, much more aggressive than the car it replaces

Mahindra XUV 3XO
Excellent safetyFive stars from Bharat NCAP for adults and children alike, with six airbags and ESC standard from the base variant
The turbo petrol drinks hard in traffic: under 10 km/l on an instrumented city run

Tata Curvv
Excellent safetyA five star Bharat NCAP result that applies across the range, not just to the loaded variant
Rear seat space and comfort are not the best in class, and the coupe roofline costs headroom if you are over six feet

VinFast VF 7
Excellent safetyFive star Bharat NCAP result, 28.54 of 32 for adults and 45.25 of 49 for children
Two owners went public in mid 2026 with faults their service centre struggled to resolve: water entering the cabin through a misrouted air-conditioning drain in one case, a dashboard crack with no impact in the other

Nissan Magnite
Excellent safetyFive star Global NCAP adult occupant protection, 32.31 of 34, on one of the cheapest SUVs sold in India
Child occupant protection only three stars, 33.64 of 49, well behind the segment's best

Hyundai Creta N Line
Good reliabilityAutocar India calls it more involving, more confident and more fun than the standard Creta, so the N Line badge is doing real work rather than adding stickers
No crash programme has published a result naming the Creta N Line. The 3-star Global NCAP rating you will find belongs to the older two-airbag base Creta tested in April 2022 under retired rules, and the 5-star ASEAN NCAP result is the Indonesian-built facelift, so neither describes this car

Citroen C5 Aircross
Average safetyThe ride is the whole reason to buy this car. Autocar India's testers keep returning to the hydraulic cushion suspension, which flattens broken roads in a way nothing else near the money manages
No programme has crash tested the India-spec car. The four star Euro NCAP result is a 2019 European test of this generation, and five stars needed an optional safety pack

Renault Kiger
Average safetySix airbags standard across the range on the current car, which is rare this far down the price list
Two stars for child occupant protection is the weakest part of its crash result, and no newer test exists

Jeep Wrangler
Average reliabilityGenuinely capable off road in a way almost nothing else on sale here matches
One star at Euro NCAP for this generation, and three at ANCAP only after safety kit the Indian car does not fully get

Maruti Suzuki e Vitara
Excellent safetyFive stars at Bharat NCAP for adults and children, 31.49 of 32 and 43 of 49
Still thin on ownership record: no service invoices or used values exist for it yet, and the one range test published so far is a single run

Tata Sierra
Excellent safetyFive stars from Bharat NCAP, with 31.14 of 32 for adults and 44.73 of 49 for children
Fit and finish is below the segment standard, with scratchy plastics and buttons that do not all feel the same

Renault Duster
Excellent safetyFive stars from Bharat NCAP, 30.49 of 32 for adults and 45 of 49 for children
Real-world economy is well short of the claim and, in Autocar India's view, on the low side even against rivals

Skoda Kylaq
Excellent safetyThe safest petrol sub-four-metre SUV Bharat NCAP has tested, and the rating applies to every variant
The firm suspension that makes it fun also makes low speed town ride jarring over bad surfaces

Mahindra Thar Roxx
Excellent safetyThe safest score any petrol or diesel car has managed at Bharat NCAP, and the first ladder-frame SUV to take five stars
Electrical niggles reported by a magazine long-termer and owners alike, including the instrument cluster going blank while driving

BYD ATTO 3
Excellent safetySlick and characterful to drive, and quicker than most buyers expect
The driver assistance can brake abruptly and owners find it intrusive, though updates have calmed it

Honda Elevate
Excellent reliabilityOwners report it as close to trouble free, with the engine and gearbox giving no bother over tens of thousands of kilometres
No Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP result exists, so there is no crash rating for the Indian-specification car

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder
Excellent reliabilityThe strong hybrid returns 20 km/l or so in city traffic, which no petrol rival in the class approaches
No crash test result exists for this car from either Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP, so its safety is unrated

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara
Excellent real-world economyThe strong hybrid's economy is the reason to buy it: Autocar India measured 22.08kpl overall, 23.77 in the city, and saw 21 to 22kpl across 7,000 km of long-term running
No Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP rating has ever been published for it, despite Autocar India reporting it was among the first Marutis lined up for testing

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor
Good reliabilityThe 1.0 turbo is the reason to buy one: rev-happy, responsive, and in a car of just over a tonne it makes this one of the more entertaining small crossovers on sale
Never crash tested under this name. The Global NCAP four-star result is the older Urban Cruiser and the Bharat NCAP one is the Baleno

Toyota Urban Cruiser eBella
Good safetyReal-world range holds up better than most: about 400 km measured, and the highway figure is actually the stronger of the two
No Indian crash programme has tested it under its own name, so its rating here is technically unmeasured

Kia Sonet
Good resale demandSix airbags and ESC standard on every variant, base car included
No Bharat NCAP rating for the India-spec car, so its crash performance is simply unmeasured. The one-star Global NCAP result widely quoted against it is a two-airbag export car built for South Africa, not the six-airbag car sold here

Mahindra Bolero
Good reliabilityBuilt to be abused, with a ladder frame that shrugs off roads that unsettle softer SUVs
Never crash tested by Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP, so there is no independent measure of how it protects you

Mahindra Bolero Neo
Good reliabilityBody-on-frame construction that reviewers say shrugs off road surfaces that unsettle a crossover
One star from Global NCAP for adults and one for children, on an unstable passenger cell

Hyundai Exter
Good reliabilityOwners rate the build as solid for the money and report few mechanical complaints in the first year or two
No crash test result exists from either Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP, so there is no independent measure of how it protects you

Hyundai Alcazar
Good reliabilityThe second row is the reason to buy it: ventilated seats, adjustable under thigh support and genuine comfort on a long day
Never crash tested by Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP, so any star rating you see quoted for it has been borrowed from another car

Maruti Suzuki Victoris
Excellent safetyFive stars from Bharat NCAP with 31.66 of 32 for adults, and a separate five-star Global NCAP result on top
The 103hp naturally aspirated petrol feels strained at highway speeds with the car full of people and luggage

Tesla Model Y
Excellent safetyNamed the best small SUV Euro NCAP tested in 2025, with full marks protecting six and ten year old children
Real-world efficiency is merely decent for a car this advanced, and the heat here does not help

Nissan Tekton
Excellent safetyFive stars from Bharat NCAP, 30.49 of 32 for adults and 45 of 49 for children, with the rating applying to every variant
The 1.0 turbo has real lag: Autocar India found steep inclines needing clutch slip to get moving, and enthusiastic driving needing constant gearchanges

Skoda Kodiaq
Excellent safetyOwners reporting to Autocar India single out ride comfort, strong performance and a beautifully finished cabin
Thirsty in town: owners reporting to Autocar India put city economy at no more than about 7 kmpl

Kia Syros
Excellent safetyFive stars from Bharat NCAP for both adults and children, and the child score is among the highest the programme has published
The crash-tested cars were petrol, and sources disagree on whether the five star rating formally covers the diesel

Hyundai Venue N Line
Excellent safetyGenuinely more fun than the standard Venue: firmer suspension and heavier steering make it feel planted and communicative on a good road
The stiffer setup costs real comfort: reviewers found bad roads unsettle the cabin more than the class should

Hyundai IONIQ 5
Excellent safetyTop Safety Pick+ from the IIHS two model years running, on the facelifted body sold here
Euro NCAP gave the pre-facelift car only 63 percent for protecting people outside it, and no body has retested that pillar since

VinFast VF 6
Excellent safetyFive star Bharat NCAP result, 27.13 of 32 for adults and 44.41 of 49 for children
Driver's chest protection rated weak and the right shin marginal in Bharat NCAP's frontal offset test

BYD SEALION 7
Excellent safetyThe cabin genuinely feels like a European luxury car inside, which is not something you can say of much at this money
Real-world range lands well short of the claim: 369 km against 542 km when CarWale ran one flat

Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line
Excellent safetyReviewers find it better proportioned and sharper looking than the Kodiaq it shares a price band with
Manual seat adjustment on a Rs 47 lakh SUV, which reviewers called out and our own spec data confirms

Volkswagen Tayron
Excellent safetyFive stars at Euro NCAP under the current protocol, with 87 percent for adult occupants and 80 percent for its driver aids
Euro NCAP penalised it for poor compatibility, meaning the risk its front structure poses to people in a smaller car it hits

Toyota Land Cruiser 300
Excellent safetySecond highest vulnerable road user score ANCAP had recorded under its 2020 to 2022 rules, at 81 percent, with pedestrian collisions avoided or mitigated in every forward test
Expensive even by the standards of what it is: reviewers say European SUVs at the money are far more luxurious and better equipped

Tesla Model Y L
Excellent safetyFive ANCAP stars with 91 percent for adult occupant protection and 92 percent for its driver aids
84 percent for child occupant protection: ANCAP could not correctly install many child restraints in the second row because of top tether routing, nor fit convertible seats easily to the third row ISOFIX

Jeep Grand Cherokee
Excellent safetyFive stars from Euro NCAP with no weak category: 89 percent for children, 84 for adults, 81 for other road users and 81 for the driver aids
Euro NCAP crashed the plug-in hybrid, not the petrol sold here, so the rating describes a close relative rather than this exact car

Citroen AircrossX
Excellent safetyRide comfort is the reason to buy it: reviewers rate the suspension the best in the segment over broken city roads, and it stays composed with the car full
No crash test exists for the AircrossX itself: the five-star rating was earned by the pre-rebrand five-seat turbo petrol automatic

Kia EV6
Excellent safetyFive stars from Euro NCAP with 90 percent for adult occupants and 87 percent for the driver aids
64 percent for vulnerable road user protection, its weakest score and low in absolute terms, not just relative to the rest of the card

Kia EV9
Excellent safetyFive stars from Euro NCAP on the same pre-facelift car India sells, with 88 percent for child occupant protection
76 percent for vulnerable road user protection, fair rather than good for something this heavy in city traffic

Mahindra XUV 7XO
Excellent safetyThe reworked Da Vinci damping, which reviewers call a clear step on from the XUV700 rather than a marketing name
Climate control has moved into the touchscreen, which reviewers across three publications call a step backwards for something you adjust while driving

Hyundai Creta Electric
Excellent reliabilityGets unusually close to its claimed range, at a tested 432 km against 473 km certified
Never crash tested, so there is no independent measure of how it protects you, and the Creta's 3-star result is a different car

Citroen BasaltX
Good safetyThe ride quality reviewers keep coming back to: soft over city bumps without float, and settled at speed
Steering is light and the handling merely competent, so it rewards comfort over enthusiasm

MG Astor
Average reliabilityA cabin reviewers call genuinely premium for the money, with soft touch materials and switchgear that feels expensive
Never crash tested in India-spec by Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP, so the five star rating widely printed against it belongs to a different market's car

MG Windsor EV
Average real-world economyOwners and testers both find the range genuinely usable, with Mumbai to Pune done on a single charge
No crash test result exists for it from any programme, so its safety is unmeasured

Kia Syros EV
Average real-world economyTeam-BHP calls it a well engineered car with good build quality and fit and finish that stays consistent around the cabin
No crash programme has published a result naming the Syros EV. The 5-star Bharat NCAP rating you will find belongs to the petrol Syros, and this car carries a battery in its floor, so the rating is unknown rather than inherited

Mahindra XEV 9S
Average real-world economyAutocar India's verdict is that the aggressive pricing is the story: the top XEV 9S shares its battery and motor with the equivalent XEV 9e and undercuts it by over Rs 1 lakh
Bharat NCAP has published no crash result naming the XEV 9S. Its INGLO platform relatives the XEV 9e and BE 6 both hold five stars, but a shared platform is not a shared crash test and this is a longer three-row body, so treat the rating as unknown rather than inherited

Jeep Meridian
Average reliabilityThe suspension is the star: flat, unflustered and quiet over bad roads even with seven aboard
The nine-speed automatic is slow to respond, and owners rate it the weakest part of the car

MG Hector
Average reliabilityOwners taking these past 20,000 and 40,000 km commonly report no breakdowns and no recurring faults, with the car going in only for scheduled service
Infotainment is the weak spot every source names: screens going blank and being replaced under warranty, apps stopping after an update, and a system slow enough that the air-con is out of reach until it boots

MG Hector Plus
Average reliabilityA genuinely roomy cabin, which is the whole reason to pick the Plus over the standard Hector
No crash-test rating from any programme, despite MG saying in 2021 that one was coming

Mahindra XUV 3XO EV
Average real-world economyAutocar India rates the whole package as the value pick of the small electric SUVs, and puts the real-world city figure at a usable 220 to 250 km rather than anything heroic
No crash programme has published a result naming the XUV 3XO EV. The five Bharat NCAP stars you will see quoted belong to the petrol and diesel XUV 3XO, and this car carries its battery in the floor, which is the part a crash test is measuring. Treat the rating as unknown rather than inherited

MG Majestor
Below par real-world economyRide comfort is the strength every reviewer leads with, with the suspension soaking up broken roads well for a ladder-frame SUV
No crash programme has tested it, so its safety is unmeasured, and nor was the Gloster it replaces

Mahindra Scorpio Classic
Weak safetyThe second-generation 2.2 mHawk diesel: 130hp and 300Nm, quiet, near vibration free, and pulling from about 1,000rpm so overtakes need no planning
Never crash tested in this form, and the 2016 Global NCAP result on the same generation was zero stars for adults with an unstable bodyshell

Mahindra Bolero Neo Plus
Weak safetyAutocar India's verdict is that it is honest to the core: it does exactly what it sets out to do, which is move nine people over roads that would trouble anything else at the price
The side-facing third row bench does not come with seatbelts, per Autocar India. If you are buying this to carry a family, that is the single most important sentence here
MPVs
16 of 16 researched
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga
Excellent resale valueThree genuine rows with a roomy, adjustable middle bench and big, airy windows
Only a three-star Global NCAP result from 2019, under a protocol Bharat NCAP has replaced, and no Bharat NCAP rating since

Toyota Innova Hycross
Excellent safetyCabin noise well below the Crysta's, which owners raise more than any other improvement
Headlights owners call inadequate for highway driving at night, the single most repeated complaint

Toyota Innova Crysta
Excellent resale valueReliability that holds up over a decade rather than a warranty period: owners report engines still tight past 1.4 lakh km
No Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP rating exists for the India-spec car, so its crash performance is unmeasured. The five star result widely quoted for it is the Indonesian car tested by ASEAN NCAP, which had seven airbags

Renault Triber
Average safetySeven seats and a removable third row in under four metres, which nothing else at the price manages
Depreciates faster than any other MPV in Autocar India and Spinny's transaction data, and the AMT worst of all

MG M9
Excellent safetyThe second row is the reason to buy it: reviewers rate the heated, ventilated, massaging captain's chairs with ottomans against cars costing far more
No crash programme has tested it under the MG name, so its Indian rating is technically unmeasured

Maruti Suzuki XL6
Excellent reliabilityCaptain chairs make the third row genuinely reachable, which matters if older passengers use it
Never crash tested by Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP, so no independent safety result exists for it

Kia Carens
Average reliabilityGenuinely usable third row, which most seven seaters at this money do not manage
Global NCAP rated the bodyshell unstable, with marginal chest protection and weak foot protection for the driver

Maruti Suzuki Invicto
Excellent safetyFive stars from Bharat NCAP, 30.43 of 32 for adults and 45 of 49 for children
Interior plastic quality is mediocre, and some pieces feel budget grade in a car costing close to Rs 30 lakh

Toyota Vellfire
Excellent safetyThe second row is the whole point and reviewers say nothing under about Rs 2 crore touches it: heated, cooled, massaging seats with ottomans
The ride is not as good as the money suggests: reviewers report bumps coming through at low speed and more road noise than expected

Kia Carnival
Excellent safetyFive stars from ANCAP with 90 percent for adult occupants, and the rating covers the petrol, diesel and hybrid range after fresh tests on the hybrid
68 percent for vulnerable road user protection, well short of the low eighties its size rivals return

BYD eMAX 7
Good real-world economyRides beautifully: soft over broken surfaces at low speed and still settled when you get going
The floor sits high because the battery is under it, so you climb in rather than step in

Toyota Rumion
Average real-world economySpace and comfort are what it is for, and reviewers rate both highly for the money
Never crash tested. The Ertiga's three-star result, on a structure the testers called unstable, belongs to the Ertiga and not to this car

Kia Carens Clavis EV
Average real-world economyTwo magazines measured the 51.4 kWh car independently and landed close together, 364 km and 372 km, so the real-world number is unusually well established for a car this new
Real range lands at roughly three quarters of the 490 km claim, so treat the brochure figure as a best case

Kia Carens Clavis
Average real-world economyDiesel manual measured at 18.01 km/l overall, within touching distance of its 19.54 km/l claim
No crash-test rating exists for the Clavis from Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP. The 3 star adult result in circulation belongs to the pre-facelift Carens, a different car in this catalogue

VinFast VF MPV 7
Average real-world economySpace is the point and it delivers: reviewers rate all three rows, and the boot grows a long way once the rear seats fold
No crash programme has tested it, and its four airbags are two fewer than hatchbacks at half the price now carry, in a seven seater

Nissan Gravite
Below par real-world economyThe packaging is the trick nobody expects at this price: CarWale's reviewer, by his own account a heavy build, sat in the third row with both front rows set for him and still had room, in a car shorter than a Creta
No crash programme has published a result naming the Gravite. It is a rebadged Renault Triber and that car's rating does not transfer, so treat this one's safety as untested rather than inherited



