Test drove the Tata Punch EV Empowered+ LR Variant: Pros & Cons

Fun to drive, feels like driving a high powered go kart, sharp handling and good pickup

BHPian SchnelleKurven recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I recently test-drove the Tata Punch EV Empowered+ LR Variant.

Pluses:

• The car looks nice and well differentiated from Tata Punch ICE, especially at the front
• Fun to drive, feels like driving a high powered go-kart, sharp handling and good pickup
• Loaded to the gills with features; more importantly with all safety tech
• One-pedal driving is possible in re-gen mode 3. The use of paddle shifts to change regenerative braking settings is a nice touch.
• LR has decent enough range, 300 kms in the real world, AC Fast Charging Available
• Cheapest practical EV option (MG Comet serves a unique use case)
• 8 Year Warranty on battery pack, extended warranty options available

Minuses:

• At 15 lacs plus on the road, seems overpriced at a 50% premium over the corresponding Tata Punch ICE top-end model; payback period of 5 years @ 10000 km/year
• A brand new electronics-loaded product from Tata is a short and long-term reliability question mar
• The rotary 'gear' selector is fiddly to use
• Raised Floor (due to battery pack) compared to that of Punch ICE makes for an odd seating position, especially on the rear seat
• Recent Nexon EV price drop, yet to flow down to Punch EV
• Nosediving global resale prices of EVs vs. ICE Vehicles

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.