Tata Tiago.EV Selling At A MASSIVE Rs. 2.5 Lakh Discount Making It Cheaper Than A Maruti WagonR
Want a super affordable electric car for city use that’s also very sturdy, and with space for five? The Tata Tiago.EV ticks all the right boxes. And with a 2.5 lakh rupee discount that dealers are now offering on this car, the value proposition is just unmissable. You could get the Tiago.EV for an on road price of about Rs. 8 lakh, and this is the for the long range model. Well, for that kind of money, you won’t even get a top-end Maruti Suzuki WagonR, which sells at Rs. 8.92 lakh rupees. Both prices, on-road Bengaluru.
Even the most inexpensive automatic variant of the WagonR sells at 7.82 lakh rupees. And the automated manual transmission of the WagonR can’t even come close to the turbine like seamlessness of the single speed automatic gearbox on the Tiago.EV. As for performance, it’s no contest really. The Tiago.EV will just blow the WagonR out of the water with its instant torque right off idle. If you want to have fun, save money both at the time of purchase, and in terms of running costs, the discounted Tiago.EV is a no-brainer, really.
And the base, medium range trims of the Tiago.EV have discounts of up to Rs. 1.5 lakh, which means that they’re available for about Rs. 7 lakh, on-road Bengaluru. Price parity between petrol and electric cars? Well, it’s not just price parity but the discounted Tiago.EV goes a step further and undercuts petrol cars by a solid margin. So, if you want a car primarily for city use, and the occasional highway run, now is a great time to bring home a Tiago.EV. The discounts are just fantastic!
Who should buy the Tiago.EV?
Here are five use cases to give you a fair picture.
- Assume that you already have a large SUV or a sporty sedan that you can take for highway trips but find too cumbersome on city streets – the Tiago.EV will be a second car in your garage.
- Assume that you’re someone who prefers a bus, train or plane for inter-city travel, and want an affordable, compact and fuss free car that costs literally nothing to run while charged at home, the Tiago.EV is for you.
- Assume that you’re someone who has a parking spot with access to an 15 Amp electric charging socket, the Tiago.EV is for you.
- Assume that your family needs an additional car mainly for use in the city, the Tiago.EV is a great car for you.
- Assume that you want a sturdy yet compact car at an affordable price point, and with very low running costs, the Tiago.EV is for you.
Who should NOT buy the Tiago.EV?
- If you frequently drive large distances on the highway, the Tiago.EV will simply be too cumbersome as real world range is quite limited at about 180-200 Kms. Stopping every 150 Kms to top up the charge can increasing the duration of journey significantly.
- If you live in a place with frequent power outages and have to do large daily distance, the Tiago.EV or for that matter any electric car, may not be a good idea.
- If you do not have access to a 15 Amp charging socket either at home or work, and have to rely on public charging networks, the Tiago.EV may not be for you as it’s just too inconvenient.
- You change cars frequently, and want good resale value. Typically, electric cars have poorer resale value as the market is undecided on long term battery replacement costs.
Known issues on the Tiago.EV!
Assuming that the Tiago.EV suits your requirements, there are a couple of things you must know about the car prior to purchase.
The dreaded HV (high voltage) alert is something that a small percentage of Tiago.EV owners have faced. This causes the car to go into limp mode, and a service personnel from Tata Motors has to clear the error code by hooking the car to a laptop. As things stand today, Tata Motors has yet to resolve this issue.
Inconsistent build quality with minor niggles are common on the Tiago.EV. While this is not a deal breaker for most, it could be a dampener for some who want an absolutely fuss free ownership experience.
Don’t forget to buy extended warranty!
Electric car buyers are a minority what with less than 2 % of the Indian car market opting for them. Electric car technology is still evolving, and this is one of the reasons why early adopters are having to put up with niggles in their EVs. Considering this fact, it’s very important for you to opt for extended warranty while purchasing an electric car.
In case of the Tiago.EV, Tata Motors offers a 3 year standard warranty that includes battery warranty for 8 years/160,000 Kms. Adding an extended warranty package can increase the standard warranty’s coverage to 6 years/160,000 Kms. Battery warranty will continue to remain at 8 years/160,000 Kms irrespective of whether you opt for extended warranty.
Alternatives to the Tiago.EV?
There’s only one alternative in the Indian car market presently and it’s called the MG Comet. A two seat city runabout, the MG Comet is offered with a single battery option that gives it a real world range of about 150 Kms.
The Comet EV is cheaper than the Tiago.EV, and is the most compact car money can buy in India. It is meant for those who are looking for a city car, mainly for commuting. The Comet is well built, and has a great feature set on higher variants.
However, it does fall short of space owing to its compact dimensions and is impractical for people who want to carry more than just the driver and co-passenger. So, if you want more space and range, the Tiago.EV is the better bet. For those who want a city runabout specifically for only two people, the MG Comet will work just fine.
JSW-MG Motor now offers the Comet under the battery-as-a-service (BAAS) subscription plan, which makes the initial purchase cost quite affordable at just 4.99 lakh. However, the BAAS plan may not be suitable for everyone. Click here for the specifics.