Many electric cars now come with Battery-as-a-Service plan, which lets buyers skip the upfront battery cost entirely and bring entry prices down by several lakh rupees. That’s worth knowing if you’re shopping for a loved one this year, since it turns what used to be one massive one-time outlay into something that feels closer to a monthly running cost. Here’s a straight look at six electric cars that can actually make a great gift right now, what they cost and what you’re getting for that money, especially when petrol prices are on constant rise.
Tata Punch EV
This is Tata’s smallest electric SUV, priced from Rs 9.69 lakh (ex-showroom), running a 40kWh LFP battery that’s good for an ARAI-certified 468km, though real-world range comes in closer to 355km going by Tata’s own internal testing. It charges 20-80 per cent in 26 minutes on a fast charger and you get 6 airbags as standard plus a lifetime HV battery warranty for the first owner. At under Rs 10 lakh, it’s the cheapest way into Tata’s electric SUV range.
MG Windsor EV
On paper this one’s Rs 14.09 lakh (ex-showroom), but MG’s BaaS plan knocks that down to Rs 9.99 lakh plus a per-kilometre battery rental starting at Rs 3.99. Depending on which variant you pick, it comes with either a 38kWh or 52.9kWh battery, the bigger one rated for 449km. You get 6 airbags, a 604-litre boot that MG claims is the largest in its segment and Aero-Lounge rear seats that recline a full 135 degrees, genuinely unusual at this price.
Tata Nexon EV
Step up to the Tata Nexon EV and you’re looking at Rs 12.49 lakh (ex-showroom) with a 46.08kWh battery rated for 489km on the MIDC cycle and a 0-100kmph time of 8.9 seconds. It’s earned a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating, comes with 6 airbags and gets the same lifetime HV battery warranty Tata puts on the rest of its EVs. A DC fast charger takes it from 10-80 per cent in 40 minutes, and it can also run external devices off its battery through vehicle-to-load tech.
MG ZS EV
Go a notch up and there’s the ZS EV at Rs 17.99 lakh (ex-showroom) or Rs 13 lakh if you go with BaaS at Rs 4.5 per kilometre. Its 50.3kWh battery is rated for 461km and it’s genuinely quick too, 0-100kmph in 8.5 seconds, the fastest of this lot. Level 2 ADAS comes standard, along with 6 airbags and an 8-year or 1,50,000km battery warranty, one of the longest you’ll find here.
MG Comet EV
The MG Comet EV is actually a compact 2-door, 4-seat city car. Notably, it’s the cheapest EV you can gift right now. Priced from Rs 7.63 lakh (ex-showroom) or Rs 4.99 lakh under BaaS at Rs 3.20 per kilometre, it runs a small 17.3kWh battery rated for 230km, really meant for short city runs rather than anything longer.
Tata Curvv EV
At the top of this list sits Tata’s coupe-styled Curvv EV, priced from Rs 16.99 lakh (ex-showroom) with a choice between a 45kWh battery good for 430km or a 55kWh pack rated for 502km, Tata’s longest range yet on any passenger EV. The bigger battery gets you to 100kmph in 8.6 seconds, and both versions come with Level 2 ADAS, 6 airbags as well as a 500-litre boot, plus the same lifetime HV battery warranty running across the rest of Tata’s EVs.