Best electric cars in India (Range-based): From eKUV to Kona

While every car company in India is firming up plans to launch electric cars in the mass-market segment, the race is on for the title of the Best electric car in India. Ranked by driving range, here’s a list of options today if you wish to switch over to a car ownership experience that comes with almost none of the traditional running costs.

Hyundai Kona Electric – 452 km (ARAI)

Hyundai Kona Electric introduced Indians to long-range electric cars which made travel between cities possible with zero emissions. With an ARAI-certified range of 452 km, the Kona has the best range for a single charge for an electric car in India. Hyundai received over 300 orders for Kona Electric last year alone and is expecting to sell 500 units in 2020. The Kona Electric is powered by a 39.2 kWh lithium-ion battery and driven by a 136 PS electric motor. It can be charged completely in 6 hours and 10 minutes with a 7.2 kW charger and to 80 per cent in 57 minutes with a 50 kW DC fast charger.

Besides putting up chargers at the homes of customers, Hyundai has installed AC 7.2 kW chargers in all of its 15 electric vehicle dealerships in 11 cities, while Vehicle to Vehicle charging facility is available in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore through Hyundai’s partnership with Allianz Worldwide Partners. Customers at Delhi and Bangalore can benefit from portable chargers that are available through Road Side Assistance on Allianz Trucks.

India still doesn’t have many electric vehicle charging stations, but Hyundai, like many other companies selling EVs now, has promised a strong network of its own. The current plan is to have 50 of its dealerships spread across 30 locations nationwide equipped with an electric vehicle charger.

A Hyundai Kona owner reported that the service cost at the 10,000 km scheduled service was INR 0! Customers can now choose from three warranty options: 3-year/unlimited km 4-year/60,000 km and 5-year/50,000 km. Take a look at the Hyundai Kona Electric specifications and Hyundai Kona Electric price below:

EV	Power	Torque	Range (km)	Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
Hyundai Kona Electric	100 kW (136 PS)	395 Nm	452	Rs 23.71 lakh

MG ZS EV – 340 km (ARAI)

MG’s first electric car for India, the ZS EV has received great response thanks to its competitive pricing over the Hyundai Kona Electric. Priced from Rs 20.88 lakh ex-showroom, ZS EV offers a range up to 340 km in a single charge. MG Motor received over 2,400 bookings in the 27 days that order books were kept open, outselling the total number of EVs India bought in 2019. The MG ZS EV is powered by 44.5 kWh battery driving a 105 kW motor that produces a torque of 353 Nm. The MG Electric car can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds and can achieve a top speed of 140 km/h. With a 50 kW fast charger, the battery can be charged to 80 per cent in 50 minutes.

To relieve customers off range anxiety, MG Motor India is building a 5-way EV charging ecosystem. Apart from the on-board charging cable, customers can also get an AC fast charger installed by eChargeBays free of cost at their desired location. MG has installed 50 kW fast-charging stations at the MG showrooms in five cities, and extended charging network in their dealerships along key routes and charge-on-the-go Road Side Assistance. Below are the MG ZS EV specifications and MG ZS EV price:

EV	Power	Torque	Range (km)	Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
MG ZS EV	105 kW (143 PS)	353 Nm	340	Rs 20.88 lakh

Tata Nexon EV – 312 km (ARAI)

Tata Nexon was already perceived as a great package for its design, features and safety, and with the launch of Nexon EV, Tata Motors made long-range EVs more accessible while adding another adjective to brand Nexon. Tata Nexon EV is priced from Rs 13.99 lakh ex-showroom and offers a range of up to 312 km in a single charge. Powered by a 30.2 kWh battery and a 129 PS permanent magnet synchronous motor, Nexon EV can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.9 seconds. While it takes eight hours to charge the Nexon EV completely with a regular charger and a fast charger takes 60 minutes to charge the battery to 80 per cent. Tata Motors is offering 8 year/160,000 km warranty on the battery pack.

Tata Nexon was the first electric car to get the company’s Ziptron technology and gets two driving modes – Sports and Drive. Find the Tata Nexon specs and Tata Nexon EV price below:

EV	Power	Torque	Range (km)	Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
Tata Nexon EV	95 kW (129 PS)	245 Nm	312	Rs 13.99 lakh onwards

Tata Tigor EV – 213 km (ARAI)

The Tigor EV is fitted with a 21.5 kWh battery that powers the 30 kW motor and is capable to achieve a top speed of 80 km/h. The battery can be charged in 11.5 hours with a regular charger and to 80 per cent in two hours with a 15 kW fast charger.

Being the first electric car from Tata, Tata Tigor EV has become more popular with an upgrade that enables the sub-compact sedan to return a range of 213 km. This and the reason that the car is now available to the general public have opened the car to a wider range of customers making it the best selling electric car in India. The Tigor EV is priced at Rs 9.54 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and comes with an inbuilt warranty of 3 years or 1.25 lakh km (whichever is earlier). Watch out for the new Tata Tigor EV that comes out later this year. Below is the Tata Tigor EV price:

EV	Power	Torque	Range (km)	Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
Tata Tigor EV	30 kW (41 PS)	105 Nm	213	Rs 9.54 lakh onwards

Mahindra eVerito – 181 km (ARAI)

The Mahindra eVerito will always be known as India’s first ‘proper’ electric car. With a 21.2 kWh battery and a 31 kW motor on board, the eVerito offers a range of 181 km and has a top speed of 86 km/h. The battery takes 11.5 hours to be charged completely with a regular charger and one hour and 30 minutes to get to 80 per cent with a fast charger. Along with regenerative braking, the eVerito offers two driving modes – Eco and Boost. The eVerito comes with a Revive feature, with which customers can travel up to 8 km after the charge runs out.

Mahindra is currently developing the second generation eVerito sedan on the MESMA 350V platform, which should launch within 2 years. Take a look at the current Mahindra eVerito price below:

EV	Power	Torque	Range (km)	Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
Mahindra eVerito	31 kW (41 PS)	91 Nm	181	Rs 20.88 lakh onwards

Mahindra eKUV100 – 147 km (Claimed)

Mahindra eKUV100 became the most affordable electric car in India when it was launched at the Auto Expo 2020 priced at Rs 8.25 lakh ex-showroom. While there’s no information available about the battery, the Mahindra eKUV has a 40 kW motor that produces a peak torque of 120 Nm and offers a range of 147 km. With a fast charger, the battery can be charged to 80 per cent in 60 minutes. Mahindra will be launching the eKUV100 either in late-2020 or early-2021, and is looking to target the shared mobility segment, as the company believes the electric mini SUV will be apt for fleets to operate it with a good margin. The Mahindra eKUV100 price is as follows:

EV	Power	Torque	Range (km)	Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
Mahindra eKUV100	40 kW (54 PS)	120 Nm	147	Rs 8.25 lakh