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.
Tata nano 2.0 lacs
Renalud KWID 2.6 lacs
Maruti ALTO – 2.4 lacs (without AC)
Datsun redi-Go 2.4 lac
Maruthi omni – 2.3 lacs
Chevrolet Chevy – 2.66 lacs (with AC i think)and one more fiat model.
See here: https://autoportal.com/newcars/cars-under-3-lakh-in-india-cf/
** Please note that the prices may have been changed by manufactureres. Check their website for actual pricing in your city.
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!
