August 1st in General by pbu .

Best Car to buy under 3 lacs in India

I was searching all over the major car brands in India and was looking for a car between 2-3 lacs. I am planning to buy a petrol car well within maximum 3 lacs.

so which car to buy?

I did some research of the websites of maruti, hyundai and tatamotors and found that surprisingly only about 3 cars meet my budget. If i add air conditioner the price would jump by Rs.30′000.

Maruti ALTO – 2.33 lacs (without AC)
Hyundai Santro – 2.65 lacs (without AC)
Tata India XETA (GLE) – 2.8 lacs (without AC)
Chevrolet Chevy – 2.66 lacs (with AC i think)

and one more fiat model.

I very much liked the hyundai santro xing but the only disappointment is no AC and no music system. If you go for AC model, it only comes with power steering and the price would cross 3.7lacs. Hmmm!

From what i understood, these prices are ex-showroom. To get the on road pricing (registration + insurance + other ) you have to pay approx 30′000 from the ex-showroom price.

Without Air Conditioner and music system buying a car isnt just worth it. You have allot a budget of Rs 25′000 to Rs 30′000 for AC and Rs 6k to 10k for music system. No matter what you just cant buy a car without 3 lacs. Let me tell you 3lacs is awful lot of money for any ordinary indian.

You can research the latest car prices, specific to your city in the following websites…

Tata Website : http://www.tatamotors.com
Maruti Website: http://www.marutisuzuki.com
Hyundai Website: http://www.hyundai.co.in

Hope this would be helpful!

UPDATE:

The two best cars under 3 lacs are hyundai santro xing and maruti alto LX. i liked them both. Both pricing are almost the same and there are lot of differences. I am strictly under 3 lacs and AC with music system is a must.

Hyundai santro is a beautiful car, more spacious (backseats can be rolled) and its 4 cylinder engine. But you wont get AC and music system for this under 3 lacs. In summer it could be terrible without AC in summer.

Maruti Alto is not bad at all. It is car that gives you good value for money. You will get AC and music system all within 3lacs. You have to go to showroom and take a look. It is pretty convenient car.

I finally decided to buy ALTO LX (air conditioner) and the car dealer narrowed down to 2.92 lacs. I also took a music system.

So, before you plan to buy a car, make sure you go to showroom and do proper research. Keep in mind that these small small things like AC and music system can become so vital in the long term driving. Good luck!

9 Comments

tripti shukla
August 3, 2008

i am going to marry next year & looking a good looking & good ave car. my budget is 3 lacs.
please advice.
Reply
pbu
August 4, 2008

hyundai santro xing is good. i liked that car. go for it. it comes like 2.99 lacs (on road price) all inclusive. The only problem is there is no AC and music system.
Reply
Sarath
January 23, 2009

go for chevy ..itz d best
Reply
Royston fernandes
February 4, 2009

hello people. m a automobile engineering student.For me the best car is hyundai santro or maruti alto.Santro seems more safer then alto,but alto gives more mileage then santro.Both got good looks.As in comfort both are ok.If i would i would buy santro xing.Thank you
Reply
rustic sepia
March 3, 2009

I Hate Chevy. Also I have absolutely no idea why cars costing $45k(usd) abroad should cost 65 lakhs in India.
Reply
aprajita
September 13, 2009

thanks, we are from middle class family and can not afford more than 3 lakhs.so ur suggestion is definitely helpful.thanks
Reply
Jithu
October 23, 2009

Am from a middle class family. My budget is up to 3lakh. I want a detailed information and more about wagnor and chevy
Reply
abylash
November 4, 2009

Appreciating your valuable research & itz useful for a middle class person who want to buy a car for IR 3Lakh. Can you do the same with the budget of IR 4Lakh.
Reply
shubh
March 17, 2010

i want to buy best cars whose good perform,menteniense and avrage.
Reply