Which variant should you actually buy?

Honda's compact sedan and the Dzire's closest rival, notable for offering a Level 2 ADAS suite on its top trim — the only car in the segment to do so.

Honda's mid-size sedan, and the first car in a segment this site had no coverage of at all. One 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol in manual and CVT, plus a self-charging strong hybrid — the e:HEV — which is a different powertrain and is compared on its own.

Honda's mid-size SUV and its rival to the Creta, Seltos and Grand Vitara — a five-seater sold with one 1.5-litre petrol engine, and the only car here whose base trim ships without a touchscreen.

Hyundai's sub-four-metre sedan, the boot-equipped sibling of the Grand i10 Nios, and the Dzire's most direct rival.

India's highest selling mid-size SUV featuring parametric jewel design, Level 2 ADAS, and connected car technology.

Hyundai's smallest SUV, sold with a 1.2 Kappa petrol and a factory bi-fuel CNG across seven trims from HX2 to HX10.

Hyundai's premium hatchback, positioned above the Grand i10 and competing directly with the Baleno and Altroz.

Hyundai's sub-four-metre SUV, all-new for 2026 with a larger body, a redesigned cabin and Hyundai's HX variant naming.

Hyundai's mid-size sedan and the Honda City's direct rival, on two petrol engines — a 1.5 MPi in manual and iVT, and a 115 bhp-clear 1.5 Turbo GDi in manual and seven-speed DCT that is the quickest thing in the segment.

Kia's seven-seat MPV, sold alongside the Carens with sharper styling and a longer equipment list.

The benchmark mid-size SUV in India known for its striking design, cutting-edge technology, and wide powertrain choices.

Kia's sub-four-metre SUV, sold with a 1.2 petrol, a 1.0 turbo petrol and a 1.5 diesel across seven trims from HTE to GTX+.

Mahindra's body-on-frame SUV, sold alongside the older Scorpio Classic, with a 2.0 petrol and a 2.2 diesel offered in two states of tune.

Mahindra's three-door lifestyle off-roader, relaunched as the Thar OG in September 2026. Sold in rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, which are priced and compared separately here because a transfer case is not equipment.

Mahindra's five-door Thar, sold with a 2.0 mStallion turbo petrol or a 2.2 mHawk diesel, in rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, across two parallel trim lines — MX and AX — plus a Star Edition.

Mahindra's sub-four-metre SUV, the facelifted XUV300, sold with two 1.2 turbo-petrol tunes and a 1.5 diesel across eleven trims in two parallel lines.

Mahindra's seven-seat flagship SUV, sold as the XUV700 until the 2025 facelift renamed it the XUV 7XO.

India's cheapest new car with six airbags as standard, and the entry point to the Maruti range.

Maruti's Nexa premium hatchback, facelifted for 2026 with the Z-Series engine and a Level 2 ADAS option on the top trim.

Maruti's long-running sub-four-metre SUV, facelifted for 2026 with a 1.0 turbo petrol alongside the 1.5 mild hybrid.

Maruti's mileage-focused entry hatchback, and the Wagon R's closest rival on price.

The boot-equipped sibling of the Swift, on the three-cylinder Z-Series engine and carrying a 5-star Global NCAP rating.

Maruti's seven-seat MPV, built around family duty and running cost, and sold with a factory CNG option.

Maruti's coupe-styled sub-four-metre SUV, sold through Nexa and among the fastest-growing models in the segment.

Maruti's mid-size SUV, sold through Nexa, and the only car in its class offered with a full strong-hybrid powertrain alongside the mild hybrid.

Maruti's five-door ladder-frame off-roader, sold through NEXA. Every variant is four-wheel drive with ALLGRIP PRO and a low-range transfer case, so unlike the Thar there is no two-wheel-drive version to choose between.

India's long-running premium hatchback, now on a three-cylinder Z-Series petrol engine, with manual, AGS and CNG versions.

A tall-boy hatchback built around cabin space and running cost rather than styling, sold with a 1.0 and a 1.2 petrol and a factory CNG.

Maruti's six-seat NEXA MPV — the Ertiga's mechanical twin with captain chairs in the second row instead of a bench.

Skoda's sub-four-metre SUV, sold with one engine — the 1.0 TSI three-cylinder turbo petrol — in manual and torque-converter automatic form across six trims.

Tata's sub-four-metre sedan, launched September 2026 as the successor to the Tigor, in petrol and iCNG with a manual or AMT on both.

Tata's premium hatchback, built on an impact-tested platform and the only car in its class offering petrol, diesel and CNG.

Tata's five-seat flagship SUV, sold with a 2.0 diesel and, since 2026, a 1.5 turbo petrol.

India's highest safety-rated sub-compact SUV featuring 5-star Bharat NCAP rating, futuristic bi-functional LED lighting, and versatile drive modes.

A sub-four-metre SUV with a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating and SUV ground clearance in a hatchback footprint, sold with petrol and CNG.

Tata's three-row flagship, the seven-seat sibling of the Harrier, sold with a 2.0 diesel and a 1.5 turbo petrol.

Tata's revived Sierra, a mid-size SUV sold with three engines — a 1.5 naturally-aspirated Revotron petrol, a 1.5 TGDi Hyperion turbo petrol and a 1.5 Kryojet diesel — across a Signature and a Legend trim series.

Tata's entry hatchback, sold on a 1.2 Revotron petrol and a factory CNG version, each with a manual or an AMT, across six trims from Smart to Creative+.

Tata's sub-four-metre sedan, the booted sibling of the Tiago, and one of the few compact sedans sold with a factory CNG automatic.

Toyota's premium hatchback and the Maruti Baleno's rebadged sibling, sold with a 1.2 petrol and a factory E-CNG across four grades.

Toyota's seven-seat MPV — the Maruti Ertiga built at the same plant, sold through Toyota dealers on the same 1.5 petrol.

Toyota's mid-size SUV and the Maruti Grand Vitara's rebadged sibling, sold as a mild-hybrid petrol, a factory CNG and a strong hybrid.

Toyota's sub-four-metre SUV and the Maruti Fronx's rebadged sibling, sold with a 1.2 petrol, a factory CNG and a 1.0 turbo across five grades.

Volkswagen's mid-size sedan, and the first Volkswagen on this site. Two turbo petrols — a 1.0 TSI in manual and torque-converter automatic, and a 150 PS 1.5 TSI EVO with cylinder deactivation, sold only as a DSG on the two GT Plus trims.