The Only Car You’ll Ever Need? Why Mahindra’s XEV 9e and BE 6 Make a Compelling Case in India

I’ve driven a lot of cars: everything from frugal hatchbacks to burly diesel SUVs. When you test as many vehicles as I do, you start recognising the patterns in what buyers truly want from a single, all-purpose vehicle. In India, that wish list is surprisingly consistent: you need space and comfort for the family, the performance to feel confident on highways, the durability to handle rough patches, and running costs that don’t make you wince every time you fuel up.

For decades, this has meant defaulting to internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. Over time, tech and safety too have risen up the priority ladder, as has prestige. And so the market shifted big time to SUVs, with Mahindra being a big beneficiary of the switch.

But after living with the Mahindra XEV 9e and BE 6, I’m convinced the game has changed. These two electric SUVs don’t just keep up with their ICE rivals. In most ways that matter, they have moved past them.

Understanding the “Only Car” Test

Let’s be clear: the challenge here is not whether an EV can be a good second car for city runs. It’s whether it can replace that do-it-all ICE SUV, the one that sees you through office commutes, school runs, family holidays, and the occasional unplanned road trip. That means no compromises on range, no nervous glances at the battery gauge, no lack of space for luggage or people, and no anxiety about what happens when the monsoon floods the neighbourhood roads.

I took both the XEV 9e and the BE 6 through the same everyday and long-distance scenarios I use to benchmark the likes of SUV best-sellers such as the Mahindra Scorpio N, Hyundai Creta, and Grand Vitara. What I found is that the two Mahindras approach the “only car” brief from slightly different angles, but both meet it convincingly.

Range and Charging: The Decider for Many

The first concern for most ICE-to-EV converts is range. After all, a Creta diesel can manage 800 km between fills if you are gentle, and even a petrol Grand Vitara hybrid can cross 900 km with mixed driving.

The XEV 9e surprised me here. In its 79 kWh Pack Two form, my real-world driving across mixed city and highway conditions returned between 450 km and 500 km per charge. That is without babying it: I used the air-con liberally and drove at a steady 100–110 km/h on the highway. The BE 6, with its slightly more aerodynamic profile and the same 79 kWh capacity in Pack Three, pushed that to about 500–520 km on similar routes. On paper, their claimed ranges are even higher, but these real-world numbers are what matter to buyers.

While that is less than an ICE car, the truth is that you would rarely drive more than 500 km in a day. In fact, I would go further: given the stress levels on Indian roads, you should not drive more than 400–500 km in a day.

Charging is the second half of this equation. Living with them taught me the value of home charging. I had a 7.4 kW wallbox installed, ₹50,000 well spent. An overnight plug-in meant I started every day with a full “tank” for less than ₹300 in electricity. Contrast that with a Harrier diesel, where a single full tank can set you back over ₹6,000 at today’s prices. And for those long drives, both Mahindras support 175 kW DC fast charging, which is enough to take you from 20 to 80 per cent in about 20 minutes at the right charger. On my Mumbai–Pune–Goa run, I only needed to stop once for 15 minutes at a fast charger near Kolhapur.

Running Costs: The Silent Advantage

If you drive 20,000 km a year, which is a reasonable average for a mixed-use household, the numbers are startling. At an average home charging cost of ₹1.80 per km, you are looking at about ₹36,000 a year in “fuel” for either the XEV 9e or the BE 6. In a Creta diesel automatic, the same mileage will cost you around ₹1.3 lakh at current fuel prices. In a petrol MG Hector, closer to ₹1.8 lakh. That is a saving of ₹7 lakh plus over five years, enough to buy a small hatchback with that money.

Maintenance tells a similar story. With no oil changes, no clutch packs, and fewer wear-and-tear components, my estimated annual service spend for the Mahindras came in at ₹12,000–15,000. Compare that to the Harrier diesel’s ₹25,000–30,000 annual bill. Over five years, the savings are enough to fund an upgrade to a higher variant, and that is before you account for time saved from fewer service visits.

Everyday Comfort and Practicality

Here is where the two Mahindras start to diverge in personality. The XEV 9e is the more coupe-ish in feel. It has a planted stance, generous ground clearance, and an interior layout that will feel instantly familiar to someone coming from a big car.

The space and seating position are stunning compared with any electric car or SUV at any price. In most EVs, the high floor created by the battery pack leaves you sitting with your knees awkwardly raised, but the XEV 9e’s cabin is cleverly packaged so you sit naturally, with a comfortable thigh angle more like a well-designed ICE SUV. The ride is supple even over bad roads, and the cabin insulation is top notch. The absence of engine noise is almost eerie until you get used to it. And the absence of transmission tunnel means you get a flat floor in the rear—so the third passenger get quite comfy. Meanwhile, XEV 9e’s triple-screen layout and design language will appeal to those who want a modern, tech-forward space.

The BE 6, meanwhile, feels a bit more like a sleek crossover with attitude. The cabin’s “race-ready cockpit” brims with attitude. On a recent drive, the BE 6’s tighter turning radius made a noticeable difference in navigating narrow lanes where I have seen Grand Vitaras struggle.

Both offer boot space that rivals or exceeds their ICE counterparts. We could easily pack for five adults and still had room for an icebox in the frunk, a storage bonus you simply cannot get in an ICE SUV.

Performance and Drive Feel

One of the most pleasant surprises with modern EVs is instant torque, and the Mahindras deliver that in spades. Both produce 282 bhp and get from 0–100 km/h in under 6.8 seconds. That is a lot quicker than any of the ICE SUVs in this price bracket.

Built on Mahindra’s flat floor INGLO platform, the BE 6 and XEV 9e benefit from a low-mounted battery pack that dramatically lowers their centre of gravity. The result is an SUV that feels exceptionally planted—rounding corners and accelerating feels intuitive, stable, and confidence inspiring. Their smart Monroe CVSAe suspension actively adapts damping to match the road, whether you're cruising smoothly or tackling broken tarmac, with selectable comfort, standard, and sport modes. The XEV 9e, in particular, remains remarkably flat through turns, while low-speed steering stays light and precise.

Safety: A Built-in Advantage

Safety is often treated as a premium extra in ICE SUVs. Features like ADAS, 360-degree cameras, or high-speed autonomous emergency braking are often restricted to top-end trims, if they are offered at all. In the XEV 9e and BE 6, these systems are available right from the mid-spec-ed variants making advanced safety far more accessible.

Both SUVs are equipped with comprehensive ADAS suites, including adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking. These are not token inclusions — in my highway runs, adaptive cruise control worked seamlessly in real traffic, reducing fatigue over long distances.

They also come with 360-degree surround cameras with incident recording, multiple airbags including curtain airbags, and structural safety that meets the latest Bharat NCAP 5-star standards. Even features like a heads-up display for key driving data and driver attention monitoring add layers of real-world safety that ICE competitors in this segment often skip in their mid-variants.

Features That Go Beyond ICE

I have driven fully loaded Hectors and Harriers with panoramic sunroofs, 360-degree cameras, and connected tech. But the Mahindras add an extra layer of integration and refinement. The triple-screen setup of XEV 9e is not just for show: the passenger display kept my co-driver entertained with media without distracting me. The audio quality from the 16-speaker Harmon-Kardon system with Dolby Atmos is up there with premium German SUVs I have tested, and the incident recording via 360-degree cameras is a clever touch for Indian traffic realities.

Then there are EV-specific conveniences. Being able to pre-condition the cabin while the car is still plugged in meant stepping into a cool interior even on a 40°C May afternoon. On the BE 6, I could even use the key fob to inch the car forward or backward in tight parking spots, something no Creta or Hector offers.

The Final Verdict

If you want a direct ICE comparison, here is my honest take. The Hyundai Creta and Maruti Grand Vitara still have an edge in sheer fuel station convenience, since filling up in five minutes is quicker than any fast charge. The MG Hector’s cabin feels just as premium as the BE 6, and the Tata Harrier still holds a slight edge in suspension tuning for really bad roads.

But the XEV 9e and BE 6 eliminate the biggest historic deal-breakers for EVs in India: range anxiety and cost of ownership. They match or exceed their ICE rivals in space, comfort, safety, and features, while offering huge annual savings and the quiet, refined drive that only EVs can deliver.

The XEV 9e is the better pick if you want a more practical SUV experience with a focus on long-distance comfort. The BE 6 is ideal if you value cutting-edge cabin tech, a sleeker design, and slightly more city-friendly dynamics.

Either way, after driving them extensively, I can say this: for the first time, you can choose an EV in India and genuinely not need a backup petrol or diesel car. The technology shift has happened. Now is the time to shift the mindset.

And if you still need convincing, you do not need to worry about the 10-year or 15-year rule killing your car’s resale value. Neither do you need to lose sleep over what E20 or E27 petrol might do to your car. The case for an EV is stronger than ever. And the XEV 9e and BE 6 have more than enough to be your only car, for a long time.