Best Cars Under ₹ 8 Lakh In India

The average Indian car buyer mostly belongs to a middle-class family and when it comes to buying a car for his family, you can bet that he/she will be as astute as possible and get the best value-for-money product for the price that he/she pays. As a result, most Indian car manufacturers, especially in the mass-market segment, have a finger on the pulse of the Indian car buyer. Therefore, these companies are bringing in fully loaded models which not only offer loads of practicality and ease of ownership but also are slowly becoming feature-rich along with having decent performance.

Most of the hatchbacks and the subcompact sedans fall in this category and therefore, we list out the best cars that you can buy under ₹ 8 lakhs in India. Please do keep in mind that the list here is indicative and the primary parameter is value for money. The cars that we have listed here have most of their trims and variants falling below ₹ 8 lakh with a model or two going above the indicated price point. There are some cars, whose base variants fall below ₹ 8 lakh but most of their variants are priced above. So we have consciously tried to avoid such cars.

Here is our list of top car buys in India under ₹ 8 lakh:

Hatchbacks Under ₹ 8 Lakh

1. Maruti Suzuki Ignis:

The Maruti Suzuki Ignis is the newest addition to the Nexa line-up

It is the car which is making all the waves right now. Maruti Suzuki was keen on having a product in its portfolio which was targeted at the young audiences and the Ignis was launched. The looks of the car are quirky and it is loaded with features, keeping it real savvy for the style conscious. The Ignis gets the tried and tested 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engines from Maruti Suzuki and also have an AMT option along with the regular 5-speed manual gearbox. The interior is well appointed and will surely cater to buyers with sophisticated sensibilities as well. The Ignis is doing rather well for Maruti Suzuki and there is quite a bit of waiting from what we hear. The Ignis boasts of a fuel efficiency of 20.89 kmpl for the petrol/AMT model and 26.8 kmpl for the diesel variant. The prices for the Ignis start at ₹ 4.59 lakh for the base petrol variant and goes up to ₹ 7.46 lakh for the fully loaded diesel variant. Right in the sweet spot, then!

2. Hyundai Grand i10 Facelift:

Hyundai Grand i10 facelift borrows styling cues from the global model

The perfect rival to the Ignis, the Grand i10 facelift was launched recently and gets a few revisions along with some cosmetic updates as well. The Grand i10 was always well-appointed when it came to features considering that the top trims got you a reverse parking camera, 1GB storage for music and so on. The facelift model does even better and offers you a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, LED DRLs and a new 1.2-litre diesel engine which is slightly more powerful than the 1.1-litre unit that the old model had. The Grand i10 has a spacious cabin and is super practical for daily driving. It has a claimed efficiency of 19.77 kmpl and 24.95 kmpl for the petrol and diesel models respectively. Plus, prices for the Grand i10 facelift start at ₹ 4.58 lakh and go up to ₹ 7.33 lakh. Definitely worth a consideration if ₹ 8 lakh is your budget.

3. Ford Figo:

The Ford Figo is currently one of the most value for money hatchbacks

It could be said that the 2nd generation Ford Figo has built up a cult following of sorts, the 1st gen model definitely did. Cutting straight to the chase, the USP of the Figo are its engines. Most noticeably, the 1.5-litre petrol model which is mated to a 6-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox. This engine is a sure-fire recipe for fun. Not to say that the 1.2-litre petrol and the 1.5-litre diesel aren't. The Figo looks stylish and comes with a decent list of features too. In case you fancy yourself as an enthusiast, then you can also buy the Figo Sports, which gets a few changes here and there and all of them are for the better. The Figo 1.2 petrol offers a fuel efficiency of 18.16 kmpl while the diesel model returns 25.83 kilometres to a litre. The prices of the Figo begin at ₹ 4.75 lakh and go up to ₹ 7.21 lakh for the top diesel Sports trim.

4. Maruti Suzuki Baleno:

The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is one of the top-sellers in the segment

The Baleno is yet another best-seller in Maruti's portfolio and has been doing consistently well, since it was launched in late 2015. It looks rather good, has a long list of features and is generous with cabin space as well. A proper win-win then! The interior gets an all-black treatment to add to the sporty and premium credentials. And that is what Maruti wanted its customers to hook on to! Premium! The company brought in the Baleno to go up against the likes of the i20 and the Jazz as the Swift wasn't quite in their league as far as 'premium-ness' was concerned. The Baleno gets the same tried and tested 1.2-litre petrol with a manual and a CVT box along with a 1.3-litre diesel with a manual box. The prices for the Baleno start at ₹ 5.99 lakh for the Delta petrol variant and go up to ₹ 8.43 lakh for the Alpha diesel trim, which is the only trim with its price going above Rs 8 lakh. The Baleno is sold through Maruti Suzuki's Nexa dealership.

5. Tata Tiago:

The Tata Tiago is one of the best value for money hatchbacks in its segment

Lastly, our list of best hatchbacks concludes with the Tata Tiago. The Tiago is perhaps the least expensive model here, but a rather good one, hence the inclusion. The Tiago is the third model by Tata under its HorizonNext strategy after the Bolt and the Zest and is currently doing very well for the company. With its fresh looks, contemporary design and the Tiago has proved to be a hit for the company and shows no sign of slowing down. The Tata Tiago gets a 1.2-litre petrol and a new unique 1.05-litre diesel engine with respective fuel efficiency figures of 23.84 kmpl and 27.28 kmpl. The price range for the Tiago starts for ₹ 3.24 lakh for the XB Revotron and go up to ₹ 5.78 lakh for Revotorque diesel.

6. Hyundai i20:

The Hyundai i20 is also a very sound pick

Yep! Despite the fact that four variants of the i20 are priced above ₹ 8 lakh, we still thought it would be a good idea to include it in our list. One of the most good-looking premium hatches, the i20 doesn't show its age, despite being almost 3 years old now. Of course, the subtle update that it recently got definitely helped. The i20 now gets a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink along with a dual tone colour scheme for the exterior and orange coloured inserts in the cabin as well. The i20 still gets the same three powertrains which are the 1.2-litre petrol, 1.4-litre diesel and a 1.4-litre petrol with a 4-speed automatic gearbox. The i20 has always been a feature rich car and continues to be so. The prices for the i20 start at ₹ 5.37 lakh for the Era petrol trim and go up to ₹ 9.07 lakh for the Asta (O) diesel trim. Lots of features, oodles of space and good looks make it one of best buys in the under ₹ 8 lakh bracket, even if you are going for the top of the line variants.

Sedans Under ₹ 8 Lakh

7. Hyundai Xcent Facelift:

The Hyundai Xcent facelift is the most recently updated car in the list

The Xcent facelift was launched recently and like the Grand i10 got a comprehensive update to the looks and the features. The car looks much better now with a fresh front end which takes inspiration from the Elantra. Akin to the Hyundai Grand i10 facelift, the Xcent facelift too gets a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay along with a MirrorLink function as well. The Xcent facelift can be specified with either a 1.2-litre petrol or the new 1.2-litre diesel as well. The Xcent continues to be one of the most fuel efficient cars with 1.2 petrol manual returning 20.14 kmpl and the automatic version returns 17.36 kmpl. The diesel engine variant has a claimed fuel efficiency figure of 25.4 kmpl. Like the Grand i10, the Xcent facelift too offers great practicality and with a starting price of ₹ 5.38 lakh and going up to ₹ 8.13 lakh for the top diesel trim, the new Xcent facelift is good value for money.

8. Tata Tigor:

The Tata Tigor gets several best-in-class features

Like most other hatchback and sedan duos, the Tigor too, is essentially a compact sedan version of the Tiago. While the front end of the Tigor resembles that of the Tiago, the rear is where the style quotient comes into play. Tata managed to give the Tigor a coupe-like look from the rear, making it rather pleasing to the eye as compared to other sub 4-metre sedans which do not quite cut it as far as the rear design is considered. The Tigor too gets a host of features such as a touchscreen infotainment system with MirrorLink, climate control and colour-coded AC vents. It gets the same engine and transmission options as the Tiago, which is not a bad thing. The claimed fuel efficiency on the Tigor is 22 kmpl for the petrol variant and 26 kmpl for the diesel variant. The prices for the Tigor start from ₹ 4.70 lakh for the XE Revotron variant and goes up till ₹ 7.09 lakh for the XZ (O) variant.

9. Volkswagen Ameo:

The Volkswagen Ameo is also worth product

Like all other manufacturers, Volkswagen too couldn't resist the lure of manufacturing a sub 4-metre compact sedan. The Ameo is to the Polo what the Tigor is to Tiago, the Aspire is to the Figo, and the Xcent is to the Grand i10 and so on. While the overall design might not be as pleasing as some of the others in this list, VW has done well to load the Ameo with a whole lot of features such as rain-sensing wipers, cornering lights, rear-view camera, touchscreen infotainment system with MirrorLink, climate control and even a cruise control. All variants of the Ameo get ABS and dual airbags as standard. The Polo drew a lot of flak for not getting enough features but with the Ameo, VW has rectified the same. The Ameo gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 1.5-litre diesel engine which can be specified with either a 5-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG automatic unit. The Ameo is one of the more expensive cars on our list but it is a practical subcompact sedan loaded with features and a solid engine as well. The Volkswagen Ameo 13 variants out of which 9 variants are priced below ₹ 8 lakhs while 4 variants are priced above the ₹ 8 lakh mark. The prices start from ₹ 5.45 lakh and go up all the way to ₹ 9.62 lakh.

10. Ford Aspire:

The Ford Aspire is one of best-looking subcompact sedans

The Ford Aspire is yet another compact sedan which makes it to our list of best cars under ₹ 8 lakh. It is possibly the best-looking subcompact sedan in the market at present. The front end, with its large black grille and swept-back headlamps, look really good. The interior too is spacious and well-appointed. The beige and black colour scheme add to the premium-ness of the car. The Aspire is offered with three drivetrains, a 1.2-litre petrol, a 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel. The 1.5-litre petrol gets a 6-speed dual clutch transmission which is quite a fun car to drive. Rest, the 1.2 petrol and the 1.5 diesel aren't bad either. As is the case with the Figo, the Aspire too gets a 'Sports' version which has a few cosmetic changes and a stiffer suspension. The prices for the Aspire start at ₹ 5.45 lakh for the base petrol variant and go up to ₹ 8.28 lakh for the top of the line diesel variant.

Special Mention: While they might not be the absolute best buys under ₹ 8 lakh, we thought it would be a good idea to at least mention them here. You would wonder why we haven't included the Maruti Suzuki Swift and the Dzire in this list. That is only because, the current model of the Swift is really out-dated and Maruti Suzuki will be launching the new-generation Dzire next month, so it would be better to wait for that. You could also buy the base trims of the Vitara Brezza, Ciaz, EcoSport and the TUV100 as well. But we would rather not consider these as the best buys.