Small cars in India under Rs 10 lakh — Petrol, diesel, CNG, and electric

While the average selling price of a new car in India has increased over the past few years, with more and more people buying SUVs over hatchbacks, there are still a handful of cars under the Rs 10 lakh bracket, from EVs to diesels. Here are the most affordable small cars in India under Rs 10 lakh by fuel type. To keep it restricted to small cars, we shall not be including cars over 4 metres in length.

Petrol cars in India under Rs 10 lakh

Maruti Alto K10

Starting price: Rs 4.23 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The Maruti Alto K10 is the cheapest petrol car in India, with a starting price of Rs 4.23 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). MSIL sells around 8,500 units of the car every month, with it being the first car for a lot of Indian households.

Maruti S-Presso

Starting price: Rs 4.26 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

With a starting price of Rs 3,000 more than that of the Alto K10, the Maruti S-Presso is the second most affordable petrol car in India. The Maruti S-Presso sales are nearly nowhere to the Alto’s figures, and it is one of the carmaker’s least selling cars in India.

Renault Kwid

Starting price: Rs 4.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Next in line is not a Maruti car, but one from French automaker Renault. With a starting price of under Rs 5 lakh, the Renault Kwid is one of the cheapest petrol cars in India that you can buy today.

Check This Out: Best mileage cars in India under Rs 5 lakh

Diesel cars in India under Rs 10 lakh

Tata Altroz

Starting price: Rs 8.79 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The only hatchback in India to come with a diesel engine at present, the Tata Altroz also happens to be the cheapest diesel car in India. The Altroz gets the option for a diesel engine from the XM+ variant, but there is no option for a diesel automatic powertrain and you can get yours with just the manual gearbox.

Mahindra Bolero

Starting price: Rs 9.79 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

You might not have expected to see the Bolero in this list, but it is in fact the second cheapest diesel car in India. There’s also the Bolero Neo, which has a slightly higher starting price of Rs 9.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Tata Nexon

Starting price: Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The Tata Nexon is the third most affordable diesel car in India, and it shares the position with two more cars — Kia Sonet and Mahindra XUV 3XO. Apart from a diesel engine, the Nexon is also available with petrol, CNG, and electric powertrain options.

Mahindra XUV 3XO

Starting price: Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Sharing its spot with the Nexon, Mahindra’s sub-compact SUV also gets a diesel engine from the MX2 variant. The Mahindra XUV 3XO gets the option of a manual gearbox as well as an automated manual gearbox, just like the Nexon.

Kia Sonet

Starting price: Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The only diesel car in this list that also comes with the option of a proper automatic gearbox — a 6-speed torque convertor — the Kia Sonet diesel has a starting price of Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Note that automatic options for all these three cars are priced northwards of Rs 10 lakh. 

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Ignis pros and cons — Urban commuting tool

CNG cars in India under Rs 10 lakh

Maruti Alto K10

Starting price: Rs 5.86 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Making another appearance in this story, the Maruti Alto K10 also happens to be the cheapest CNG car in India that you can buy today. For commercial buyers opting for the Tour H1, the price starts at Rs 5.86 lakh, and for private buyers, the price for the LXi (O) variant starts at Rs 5.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Maruti S-Presso

Starting price: Rs 5.91 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The Maruti S-Presso is also the second most affordable CNG car in India, with a starting price of Rs 5.91 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The S-Presso CNG gets a claimed mileage of 32.73kmpkg.

Tata Tiago

Starting price: Rs 5.80 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The third most affordable small CNG car in India is the Tata Tiago, which gets the option of a factory-fitted CNG kit from the XE variant. 

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Electric cars in India under Rs 10 lakh

MG Comet EV

Starting price: Rs 6.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The MG Comet EV is the cheapest electric car in India at the moment, with a starting price of just Rs 6.99 lakh for the base trim. You can also opt for MG’s BaaS program, wherein you can get the Comet for Rs 4.99 lakh, but there’s a certain amount that you are charged for every kilometre that you drive.

Tata Tiago EV

Starting price: Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The Tata Tiago EV is the second most affordable electric car in India, with a starting price of Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Tiago EV is based on the ICE Tiago, unlike the MG Comet, which is a born-electric vehicle.

Tata Punch EV

Starting price: Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Speaking of born-electric cars, the Tata Punch EV is the third most affordable small electric car in India, and sits on Tata’s acti.ev platform. Note that we did not include the Vayve Eva in this list as the car is still under development and won’t be up for sale before 2026.