Reliable automatic car for city use: Petrol, electric or hybrid

I am considering the Honda Amaze CVT, MG ZS EV and Honda City Hybrid.

BHPian yogiii recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am looking to buy a car for city use only.

Primary requirements are:

• Proper automatic (no AMTs)
• Reliable
• Low running costs - 15,000km running per year

Cars considered

• Honda Amaze VX CVT - 11L On road
• MG ZS EV Executive - 20L On road
• Honda City Hybrid ZX - 21L On road (UP registration)

I keep my cars long term, till they die or Delhi NCR comes with newer regulations.

Unable to decide whether I should just buy Amaze, the last of its dying breed or go all out and spend much more.

Here's what BHPian boniver had to say about the matter:

It is not worth any amount of money to buy an EV in this country with the current state of infrastructure.

Here's what BHPian krishnakarthik1 had to say about the matter:

Please go and get yourself a Tiago EV XT and you can thank me later! Most VFM EV in the market. Super fun to drive and you save a lot of money too.

Here's what BHPian rajshenoy had to say about the matter:

Honestly, I don't think Amaze is a comparison with City or MG ZS. This way you could have the same dilemma with say, Seltos/Creta/Hyryder as well.

I think Amaze will help you save some cash upfront (invest it) vs City or ZS should keep your upgrade itch away for another decade.

Do think there are other considerations here, like long-distance driving on highways, EV charger at home etc.

But if it is an EV over a Petrol car, the ZS EV is not double the cost of say Creta or Seltos and is an attractive deal actually.

Here's what BHPian Aroy had to say about the matter:

Charging an EV at home will be a problem if there is no power plug where you park your car.

Financially it makes little sense to get an EV. Yes if the Government lets you keep an EV for a longer time than an ICE, then it is viable. But will your battery last (10,15 years) that long? A battery change in an EV is a big expense, at times half the cost of a new EV, so take that into account for financial analysis.

Here's what BHPian DivyanshuDiv had to say about the matter:

If you have a fixed budget to buy a car and a need, better buy something that you could fit in your monthly expenses.

Today, most people in our nation are aspirational buyers, they look at the features and social media to get reviews for cars. What hurts the most is the longevity and economy with these useless feedback sources, especially influencers, who are mostly the least educated about the rudiments of the vehicle, and tend to implant and inspire buying decisions.

Tata Motors is one of the examples, which got the maximum profit, and Ford was the least, when they echoed a lot about the high maintenance and average of their cars, which wasn’t true.

Currently, EV consumers are guinea pigs, and these products haven’t reached an acceptable level for rollouts, in terms of ranges and rechargeable solutions, but the government and players are pushing and banking on it. These products won’t last like their ICE counterparts, and with every mile you cover, with every recharge cycle, the life on the core unit will deplete and eventually won’t last long. The current battery types won’t be cheap in future as the technology evolves, and future mass manufacturing units might be more robust and close to our real-world needs.

So, a cheaper investment should be a petrol car rather than an expensive EV, but the better solution currently available has to be hybrid engines, and the government should use them as a filler until EV evolves. I would recommend, buy either an efficient petrol or limited hybrids we have at our disposal or wait for some time until we get more hybrids in India. EVs will need at least 5 more years to become what ICE was 30 years back, and at least a decade to get a low-cost, range-extensive, feature-loaded, safe and fast charging version.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.