Best Cars for Indian Roads - Price, Mileage, Specifications

India is a dichotomous country when it comes to its terrains and landscapes—on the one hand there’s the sprawling green hills and valleys and gorgeous roads with breathtaking views of the surrounding water bodies, and on the other the bustling city traffic with challenging highways and narrow roads. Add to that the woes of potholes and water logging as well! 

All of this makes India’s roads a challenge to navigate on and is one of the reasons why many popular cars of the Western countries are unsuitable here. However, automobile manufacturers have designed cars that can cater to Indian roads and rise to all the challenges on the way. This blog post is a curated list of cars that are perfect for Indian roads and terrains. Whether you're a city dweller, an adventure enthusiast, or a family looking for a reliable and comfortable ride, we've got you covered.

1. Renault Kwid

Pick any city in India and choose any road that is viable to drive on, and you will most likely find a Renault KWID either parked or driving past you. That is exactly how popular the budget-friendly model is across the country. While it is the cheapest option in the Renault lineup right now, it is far from the least capable vehicle on the road. The KWID is available with a 1.0L petrol engine which is capable of generating 68Ps of power and 91Nm of torque. In the transmission department, the small car is available with either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT setup. 

Ex-showroom Price: ₹4.70 lakh - ₹6.33 lakh

Key Specifications of Renault Kwid Specs

Key Features

What’s Good

• SUV-like Styling
• Spacious
• High ground clearance
• Affordable
• Fuel Efficiency
• Ride quality
• Features

What's Not Good

• 800cc variant now unavailable
• Not fun to drive

Check out our collection of Used Renault Kwid Cars in India 

2. Maruti Suzuki Ignis

The Ignis, closely related to the Maruti Swift, combines the agility of a compact car with SUV-inspired features like elevated ground clearance and protective plastic body cladding. With its zippy 1.2-liter engine, it effortlessly conquers both city streets and highways. Furthermore, its affordability extends to low spare parts prices.

Ex-showroom Price: ₹5.84 lakh - ₹8.16 lakh

Key Specifications of Maruti Suzuki Ignis

Key Features:

What’s Good

• Performance
• Mileage 
• AMT
• Space

What’s Not Good

• Stiff Ride

Check out our collection of Used Maruti Suzuki Ignis Cars in India 

3. Toyota Innova Crysta

Now in its second generation, the Toyota Innova reigns supreme as the unrivalled champion of the MPV segment. With its impressive ground clearance and robust engine options, this versatile vehicle fearlessly tackles even the most demanding road conditions. Meanwhile, its remarkable ride quality ensures a comfortable journey, smoothing out the rough patches of poorly maintained roads. When it comes to conquering India's challenging terrains without compromising on comfort, the Toyota Innova sets the benchmark for excellence.

Ex-showroom Price: ₹19.99 Lakh

Key Specifications of Toyota Innova Crysta

Key Features

What’s Good

• Comfort
• Reliability 
• Low Maintenance
• Spacious
• Powerful
• Resale Value

What’s Not Good

• No Automatic Transmission Option
• No Petrol Option
• Slightly Overpriced 

Check out our collection of Used Toyota Innova Crysta Cars in India 

4. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is a Honda City and Hyundai Verna-rivalling sedan that has been able to make a name for itself due to the great value-for-money proposition it offers. Even though it isn’t as powerful as its aforementioned rivals, one shouldn’t ignore that the Ciaz comes with the best-in-class space and ride quality, which make it a good option due to the bad road conditions of our country.

Ex-showroom Price - ₹9.30 lakh - ₹12.29 lakh 

Key Specifications of Maruti Ciaz

Key Features

What’s Good

• Space
• Comfort
• Mileage
• Price

What’s Not Good

• Feels Dated
• 4-speed Automatic 

Check out our collection of Used Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Cars in India 

5. Mahindra Scorpio N 

The Mahindra Scorpio-N is the latest generation of Mahindra's wildly popular SUV, and it's easy to see why. With petrol and diesel engine options available, each with the option for an automatic transmission, this car is a true powerhouse on the road. For those who crave adventure, the diesel engine also offers an optional 4-Wheel Drive system on select variants, complete with terrain response modes and low ratio. 

Ex- Showroom Price: ₹11.99 lakh - ₹23.90 lakh

Key Specifications of Mahindra Scorpio N

Key Features of Mahindra Scorpio N 

What’s good

• Great road presence
• More premium than its predecessor
• Quite capable off the road

What’s not good

• Quite expensive
• Petrol is low on mileage

Check out our collection of Used Mahindra Scorpio Cars in India

6. Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Yet another popular model on this list is the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, which is among the highest selling SUVs in India. While not as powerful as the Nexon and the EcoSport, the Brezza holds its own due to fantastic ride quality and suspension components that have been tailor-made for Indian road conditions. What’s even better is that the Brezza enjoys Maruti’s wide service network and hence, you can easily get it serviced almost anywhere in the country.

Ex-showroom Price: ₹7.84 lakh - ₹11.49 lakh

Key Specifications of Maruti Brezza

Key Features

What’s Good

• Well-priced
• Decent fuel efficiency and power
• Excellent automatic transmission 

What’s Not Good

• No diesel option

Check out our collection of Used Maruti Brezza Cars in India

7. Hyundai Alcazar

The Hyundai Alcazar is another car that makes for a good option for Indian car buyers. Like other SUVs on this list, even the Alcazar benefits from a high ground clearance and a comfortable ride. What’s even better is that this Creta-based model even offers automatic transmission options for both petrol and diesel engine variants, thereby making the Hyundai Alcazar a breeze to drive on the challenging road network of this country.

Ex-showroom Price: ₹15.89 lakh - ₹20.25 lakh

Key Specifications of Hyundai Alcazar

Key Features 

What’s Good

• Available in both petrol and diesel variants
• High quality cabin with many features
• Tried-and-tested after sales service
• Good ride quality
• Powerful petrol engine

What’s Not Good

• Doesn’t look as rugged as rivals
• No 4x4 option

Check out our collection of Used Hyundai Alcazar Cars in India

8. MG Gloster

Making its mark on our list of top cars for Indian roads is the MG Gloster, a formidable SUV built to conquer the most challenging on-road and off-road tasks. With its rugged design and exceptional capabilities, the Gloster fearlessly navigates tricky terrains. Inside, its feature-packed cabin offers a comfortable sanctuary, shielding occupants from the rugged surroundings. Combining a great ride quality with its robust performance, the MG Gloster ensures a smooth and enjoyable journey, no matter the tough terrain it encounters.

Ex- Showroom Price: ₹32.00 lakh - ₹40.78 lakh

Key Specifications of MG Gloster 

Key Features

What’s Good

• Bigger than Toyota Fortuner
• Level 2 ADAS
• 4x4 Option

What’s Not Good

• Not as capable as Toyota Fortuner
• Lacks reliability of Toyota Fortuner

Check out our collection of Used MG Gloster Crysta Cars in India

9. Mahindra XUV300

Another compact SUV on our list of best cars for Indian roads is the Mahindra XUV300, which is available with high ground clearance, a comfortable ride and a wide range of engine-transmission combinations to enable you to choose the right combo as per the road situations you have to tackle. Plus, it even has a high water wading capacity to help you sail through the flooded streets during the monsoon.

Ex-showroom Price- ​​₹8.42 - ​​₹14.60 Lakh*

Key Specifications of Mahindra XUV300

Key Features

What’s Good

• Dynamics
• Features
• Pricing
• Safety

What’s Not Good

• Boot Space
• Fuel Efficiency 

10. KIA Carens

The Carens is a three-row version of the Seltos that locks horns with the likes of Mahindra Marazzo, Maruti Ertiga and even the Hyundai Alcazar. The Kia Carens gets the same engine and transmission options as the Seltos. This means it comes with as many as three engine options: 1.5 Petrol, 1.4 T-GDi Petrol, and 1.5 CRDi VGT Diesel and three transmission options: 6MT, 7DCT, or 6AT. In true Kia fashion, the Carens even has many safety features, including 6 airbags, Dynamic Brake Control, Vehicle Stability Management, Hill Assist Control, Electronic Stability Control and All-Wheel Disc Brakes.

Ex-Showroom Price: ₹10.00 lakh - ​​₹18.00 lakh

Key Specifications of Kia Carens 

Key Features

What’s Good

• Attractively priced
• High quality cabin with many features
• Available in multiple petrol and diesel engine options

What’s Not Good

• No automatic transmission for base petrol
• Not as bold as typical SUVs

Check out our collection of Used Kia Carens Cars in India 

Conclusion

Even after a lot of development, Indian road conditions continue to vary.  While this hasn’t kept carmakers from launching new cars in India, it pays to be a bit careful when opting for a new vehicle. One can actually optimise his new car purchase decision based on the roads in his vicinity or on his usual route of travel. Therefore, the best car for Indian roads actually varies from one person to another. Mostly, sedans offer a more relaxed and refined experience, while SUVs offer more robustness on bad roads. The MPVs try to offer the best of both worlds without excelling in a particular aspect. Based on these broad categories, one can choose a car that would give him the best experience on the roads he generally travels on. Our list of best cars for Indian roads should help you choose a vehicle based on your exact budget and requirements. 

Do you plan to purchase a used car that is good for Indian roads? We, at CARS24, offer a range of second-hand cars along with free RC transfer. Also, our free second hand car value calculator can help you find out the right resale value of any second-hand car on sale in the country. You can even use our services to sell your used car and get the best price for it.

FAQs

Q. Which is the most selling car for Indian roads in 2024?

The Maruti Brezza has been the highest selling model among all cars good for Indian roads.

Q. Which is the best car for Indian roads in 2024? 

Right now, the most affordable car in India for our road conditions is the Renault Kwid.

Q. Which sedan car is best for road conditions of India?

The Maruti Ciaz is currently the best sedan for Indian road conditions due to its spacious interior, high mileage, and great ride comfort.