From hatchbacks to SUVs, Indian auto market has swiftly steered away to the more spacious vehicles but what remains a constant is the factors driving sales of cars in India. While pricing is the most vital aspect taken into consideration before making a buying decision, fuel economy is another criterion that plays an important role in car buying. With an influx of models in the segment, it is quite confusing to decide on a suitable car with most of the right boxes ticked. To help you in your quest, we bring you a list of best mileage SUVs in India, have a look.
Best Mileage SUVs
1. Maruti Grand Vitara/Toyota Hyryder
Maruti Suzuki and Toyota JV has recently launched the two new SUVs – the Grand Vitara and the Hyryder in the country. Both SUVs are based on Suzuki’s Global C-platform and are manufactured at Toyota’s Bidadi based plant in Karnataka. The new models are offered with two engine options – a 1.5L NA petrol and a 1.5L TNGA petrol with strong hybrid system. The strong hybrid version gets 3-cylinder 1.5L TNGA Atkinson cycle engine coupled to a 177.6V lithium-ion battery. This engine produces 92.45PS of power, while the maximum usable power and torque stands at 115.5PS and 122Nm respectively. This engine comes with Toyota’s e-CVT, which is also offered on the global Yaris Cross hybrid. It is claimed to offer an ARAI certified fuel economy of 27.89kmpl, which makes the new Grand Vitara and Hyryder the most fuel efficient SUV of India.
Mileage Figures – 27.89kmpl
2. Kia Sonet
Kia Motors entered the sub-4 meter SUV segment with the Sonet SUV, which is available in the price bracket of Rs 6.79 lakh to Rs 13.25 lakh. The SUV rivals the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue and Ford EcoSport and Mahindra XUV300. It is available with 3 engine options – a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol, a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel and a 1.2-litre NA petrol. The 1.0L engine produces 118bhp and 175Nm of torque, while the 1.2L NA engine produces 83bhp and 115Nm of torque. The diesel engine churns out 99bhp and 240Nm of torque with manual gearbox. The automatic diesel offers 113bhp and 250Nm of torque.
The ARAI certified fuel economy of the diesel MT is 24.1kmpl, while the diesel AT is claimed to return 19kmpl. The 1.2L petrol version delivers a certified mileage of 18.4kmpl, while the turbo petrol with MT & DCT delivers 18.2kmpl and 18.3kmpl respectively. The iMT version also return 18.2kmpl of mileage.
Mileage Figures: Petrol – 18.4kmpl/18.2kmpl | Diesel – 24.1kmpl
3. Honda WR-V
Honda Cars India had launched the Jazz hatchback-based SUV in early 2017. Called the Honda WR-V, the compact SUV has been doing reasonably well in the competitive market. Despite being sub-compact in size, the WR-V offers best-in-class cabin space with a highly-practical layout. It’s also the only car in its segment to offer sunroof. Most importantly that makes one of the most desirable SUV is its highly-efficient engine setup.
The compact SUV derives its power from the 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine available with a 5-speed and a 6-speed manual gearbox options. The gasoline unit makes 89bhp with 110Nm, the oil burner develops a maximum power of 99bhp with 200Nm. In the BSVI form, the Honda WR-V returns a fuel efficiency of 16.5kmpl in petrol and 23.7kmpl in diesel. With such impressive mileage figures, the WR-V tops our list of best mileage SUVs in India. While the vehicle is based on Honda’s premium hatchback, Jazz, it gets new elements that saves it from being mistaken as its twins.
Mileage Figures: Petrol – 16.5kmpl | Diesel – 23.7kmpl
4. Hyundai Venue
Korean automaker, Hyundai had launched the Venue sub-4 meter compact SUV in India in early 2019. It is currently the best-selling SUV, thanks to its modern styling and feature-loaded cabin. The sub-4 meter SUV is based on an all-new platform and shares design from the global and bigger Hyundai SUVs including Palisade. It also gets Hyundai’s Blue Link connected car technology, which has Internet option and many connected car features.
The SUV is available in 3 engine options – a 82bhp, 1.2-litre petrol, a 99bhp, 1.5-litre diesel and a 118bhp, 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol. The naturally-aspirated petrol model delivers 17.52kmpl, while the turbocharged petrol manual and automatic returns 18.2kmpl and 18.15kmpl respectively. The diesel Hyundai Venue is claimed to return 23.4kmpl.
Mileage Figures: Petrol – 17.52kmpl, 18.2kmpl | Diesel – 23.4kmpl
5. Tata Nexon
The next on our list of best mileage SUV in India is the Tata Nexon compact SUV that first broke cover in its concept avatar at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo. The sub-4 meter SUV is also one of the most powerful SUV in its league. It is available with two engine options – 120bhp, 1.2-litre turbo petrol and 108bhp, 1.5-litre turbo diesel. The torque figure of the gasoline unit and oil burner stands at 170Nm and 260Nm respectively. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox or AMT unit. The SUV is claimed to return an ARAI certified fuel efficiency of 17kmpl and 21.5kmpl in petrol and diesel, respectively. The sub-compact SUV comes with several first-in-segment features including multi drive modes, a floating dashtop screen and the ‘Grand Central Console’.
Mileage Figures: Petrol – 17kmpl | Diesel – 21.5kmpl
6. Maruti Brezza
Joining the list of best mileage SUVs is the new Maruti Brezza, which is equipped with a 1.5L 4-cylinder petrol engine. This engine comes with a mild hybrid tech, which makes it highly fuel efficient. It is capable of producing 101bhp of power and 137Nm of torque. Transmission choices include a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed torque convertor automatic. The Brezza LXi and VXi variants are claimed to return an ARAI certified fuel economy of 20.15kmpl. The higher spec models return 19.8kmpl.
Mileage Figures: Petrol MT – 20.15kmpl | AT – 19.8kmpl
7.Nissan Magnite
Nissan had launched the Magnite sub-4 meter SUV in the end of 2020. It is based on the CMF-A modular platform that also underpins the Renault Kiger. The small SUV is offered with two engine options – a 1.0L NA petrol and a 1.0L turbocharged petrol. While the former is good for 72bhp and 96Nm, the later produces 99bhp and 160Nm of torque. Transmission options include a 5-speed MT & a CVT automatic. While the NA engine offers 18.75kmpl, the turbo unit delivers an ARAI certified fuel economy of 20kmpl. The turbo CVT returns 17.7kmpl.
Mileage – 18.75kmpl NA MT | 20kmpl Turbo MT | 17.7kmpl Turbo CVT
8. Renault Kiger
The Kiger also shares the platform and engine options with the Magnite. It is offered with two engine options – a 72bhp, 1.0L NA petrol and a 99bhp, 1.0L turbo petrol. The NA manual model is claimed to return 19.17kmpl, while the AMT unit delivers 19.17kmpl. The turbo model is claimed to return an ARAI certified fuel economy of 20.53kmpl.
Mileage – 19.17kmpl MT | 20.53kmpl Turbo
9. Mahindra XUV300
The homegrown SUV maker had launched the XUV300 sub-4 meter SUV in early 2019. The new model is based on the SsangYong’s X100 platform that also underpins the global Tivoli SUV. The new model is currently available as a premium model and sits slightly above the competition in terms of pricing and features. The new model is available with 2 engine options – a 1.2-litre, turbocharged petrol and a 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel. While the former is good for 109bhp and 200Nm of torque, the oil burner produces 115bhp and 300Nm of torque. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and an AMT unit. The petrol model is claimed to return a certified fuel economy of 17kmpl, while diesel is rated at 20kmpl.
Mileage Figures: Petrol – 17kmpl | Diesel – 20kmpl
10. Hyundai Creta
Hyundai has recently launched the new-gen Creta SUV, which comes with all-new design, feature-loaded and high quality interior and new set of engines. The SUV is based on the new front-wheel-drive platform that also underpins the Kia Seltos. The new Creta comes equipped with segment-leading features and new set of diesel and petrol engines. The new-gen model is available in 3 engine options – a 113bhp, 1.5L petrol, a 113bhp, 1.5L turbo-diesel and a 138bhp, 1.4L turbocharged petrol. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual as standard, a CVT with 1.5L petrol, a 6-speed torque convertor with diesel and a 7-speed DCT with 1.4L turbo petrol. The petrol manual and automatic returns 16.9kmpl and 16.8kmpl respectively, while the diesel manual and automatic delivers an ARAI certified fuel economy of 21.4kmpl and 18.5kmpl.
Mileage Figures: Petrol – 16.9kmpl | Diesel – 21.4kmpl
11. Kia Seltos
Kia Motors had launched the Seltos mid-sized SUV in August 2019. The SUV is currently the best-selling model in its category, beating the likes of Hyundai Creta. The new model comes with aggressive design, feature-loaded cabin and multiple engine and gearbox options. The SUV has the same engine options as the Creta SUV, which includes 1.5L petrol, 1.5L diesel and 1.4L turbocharged petrol.
Mileage Figures: Petrol – 16.8kmpl | Diesel – 20.8kmpl
