Need advice: Which automatic hatchback for my mom under 5L

She has to commute to work twice or thrice every week on average, and the occasional family visits and shopping over the weekend.

BHPian Hagaru recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

We have a 2021 Model Hyundai Verna SX(O) MT at home. The car is taken out rarely, only once a week and the main runnings are usually on Highways.

My mother is now showing interest in wanting to drive. She has to commute to work twice or thrice every week on average, and the occasional family visits and shopping over the weekend. And she has some requirements, but we are not able to shortlist many options in her range.

She is uncomfortable taking the Verna out due to the MT and her perception of it being a 'big/long' car.

• Automatic is a must. She is quite dead set on this.
• Compact car/Hatchback. She would have bought the Nano brand new if it were on sale.
• Budget is 5 Lakhs, stretchable up to 10-15%, including all purchasing costs (except interest)
• She would like to have a car that she won't regret even if it scratches a little, this is the general concept of a beater car I assume.
• The car will be financed by a loan.

The car will be purely city driven by our family. Boot space, Rear Leg room, etc are not a concern at all. But, personally, I would prefer there to be some safety features. I do understand it would be hard with this budget.

For Reference, we are based out of Bangalore, and would prefer a KA registered vehicle but are open to buying a KL registered vehicle if the price difference is huge.

Some Cars that were suggested

• Alto
• Santro AMT
• Jazz (We think it would be hard to find a good pre-worshipped example at this price)

Hoping to hear inputs from fellow members.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

For a smooth experience & to avoid the Bangalore used car mafia, best to go through one of the startups. On Cars24 & Spinny, I am seeing some good AT options - Honda Jazz, Brio, Grand i10 & Ignis (but AMT).

Take your Mom along for a test-drive and buy the one she is most comfortable with.

As much as possible, avoid the AMTs.

Here's what BHPian bijims had to say on the matter:

Considering your budget, new cars are more or less out of question with even the Alto K10 AMT costing 6.5 Lakhs on road, so you are left with used cars and the best options would be Alto, Wagon R, Ignis, and i10, if you want safety the cheapest car you could get used would be a Tata Tiago

Here's what BHPian IshaanIan had to say on the matter:

Brio would be your best bet since it has a torque converter  apart from that the Micra and Jazz both make for good CVT options.

Here's what BHPian omar had to say on the matter:

Brio would be my pick as well, as it has the smallest footprint and is also good to drive.

Jazz would be my next recommendation, if the relative size increase, over the Brio, is comfortable.

Would recommend the car to be driven first and then should you decide. With cars, specs are one thing, drivability can sometimes be a completely different thing.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.