October 2024 - Tata Punch CNG Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Updated (Oct 15, 2024: Tata Motors recently updated the Punch with new features and revised the prices and variant lineup. This update of the Tata Punch CNG variants explained includes buying recommendations of CNG variants based on the latest October 2024 prices and variant feature distributions.

Also Read: Tata Punch Petrol Variants Explained - Buy Best Variant

Hyundai Exter Petrol, CNG Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Tata Punch CNG?

The pros or advantages of Tata Punch CNG are:

• Proper SUV styling with baby-Harrier looks in a compact, city-friendly size
• A CNG car with a usable boot space; most CNG cars have boot spaces so poor that the manufacturers shy away from even mentioning the remaining cargo volume (although as of Sep 2024, CNG variants of the Nexon, Tiago, Exter and Nios also have this feature)
• Decent ground clearance, fuel efficiency and power/torque figures
• 5-star GNCAP adult safety rating and 4-stars for children is the best in this price range; Altroz (also a Tata car) is the only other
• 90-degree opening front and rear doors allow easy ingress-egress for occupants, pets or objects you may store in the back seats
• Easy-reach horn is an nice safety feature, which we wish was available in all cars; to press the horn, you don’t need to take your hand off the wheel as you can reach it with just your thumb

The Tata Punch petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• The incremental cost to buy the CNG powertrain over the petrol variant is not flat and fairly high at Rs. 1.10 lakh for some variants
• Kilometre to break even the higher upfront cost you’re paying for the CNG powertrain is 60,000km for the variants worth considering; if you factor in the lower performance and smaller boot, then you’ll have to drive the Punch CNG for 75,000km just to recover the higher upfront costs; if you don’t see yourself driving at least 1,00,000km during the ownership, then it’s better to buy the petrol variant
• For a car bragging about setting standards in terms of occupant safety, it’s a shame that the Punch doesn’t offer 6 airbags in any variant while the Hyundai Exter and even the larger Nissan Magnite 2024 get 6 airbags as standard feature
• Overpriced mid variants and no true VFM variant, which we can recommend to anyone with our eyes closed; we noticed a similar pattern in the Punch petrol variants also
• If you’re willing to look past the Punch’s style and can live with a lower ground clearance, then the Altroz XZ CNG offers better value for money and a lot more features
• The ground clearance is acceptable, but considerably less than the 200mm+ figure we’ve come to expect from Tata SUVs
• Tata are known for offering a crazy number of variants that often even their sales staff can’t remember; but the lack of these options creates an imbalance and limits the choices significantly for the Punch CNG buyer as the petrol variants get a larger number of variant options
• No CNG-AMT powertrain option; Tata have the option in their portfolio and offer it with the Tiago and Tigor
• 6-month service interval increases the number of visits to the service centre and leads to higher maintenance costs
• No CNG bi-fuel option — Addressed by Tata with August 2023 update
• Missing features: rear AC vents, auto AC, rear armrest, TPMS, power-folding outside mirrors and cruise control — Addressed by Tata with September 2024 update

What Is The Price Of Tata Punch CNG Variants?

The Tata Punch CNG is available in 3 main variants with a starting price of Rs. 7.23 lakh for the Pure CNG-manual. The Adventure variants’ prices range from Rs. 7.95 lakh to Rs. 9.05 lakh (ex-showroom). The top-spec Accomplished Plus S variant of the Punch CNG is available for Rs. 9.90 lakh.

Compared to the normal petrol engine, the CNG variants of the Punch cost Rs. 95,000 to 1.10 lakh more. For this higher price, you obviously get lower fuel costs but you also get a fairly usable boot space of 210 litres. All other CNG SUVs make you sacrifice on the boot space as the gas cylinder takes up a lot of cargo volume.

To recover the higher upfront cost you’re paying over the comparable Punch petrol variant, you’ll have to drive the Punch CNG for around 60,000km. If you also want to factor in the smaller boot space and lower performance of the CNG powertrain, then the breakeven figure jumps to ~75,000km.

Tata Punch CNG Pure - Base Model Standard Features

The base model of the Tata Punch CNG only comes with the 1.2L CNG-petrol engine and a manual transmission and costs Rs. 7.23 lakh. The Punch CNG Pure has the following notable features:

The base variant doesn’t get the following important features:

• Day/night inside mirror
• Wheel covers
• Music system
• Rear parcel tray
• Remote central locking
• Steering-mounted controls

The base variant is suitable for budget-conscious buyers as the higher Adventure and Adventure Rhythm, both offer terrible value for money. So, it’s better to buy the Punch CNG base model (Pure) and add some aftermarket or dealer-level accessories.

Tata Punch CNG Pure vs Adventure Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The next variant in line for Punch CNG buyers is the Adventure. It costs Rs. 7.95 lakh and it’s Rs. 72,000 pricier than the base Pure CNG variant of the Punch.

Over the base Pure variant, it adds the following notable features:

While the Adventure variant covers the basics quite well, you may still miss the following features in this variant:

• Height-adjustable driver seat
• Rear camera
• Rear defogger
• Rear washer wiper
• Rear AC vents

The Adventure variant adds some critical must-have features but for a steep asking price. Hence, it only justifies about 57% worth of the incremental cost over the base Pure CNG variant. This variant is not recommended.

Tata Punch CNG Adventure vs Adventure Rhythm Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Tata Punch CNG Adventure Rhythm variant costs Rs. 8.30 lakh. The Adventure Rhythm CNG is Rs. 35,000 more expensive than the Punch Adventure CNG.

It adds the following notable features over the Adventure variant:

In this variant, you may miss features like:

• Height-adjustable driver seat
• Rear defogger
• Rear washer wiper
• Rear AC vents

Just like the Adventure variant, the Adventure Rhythm variant is also quite expensive and doesn’t even come close to justifying the additional price over the base trim. This one offers only about 61% value for money and it’s not recommended. Consider buying one of the lower variants or stretching your budget for a higher trim.

Tata Punch CNG Adventure vs Adventure S Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Tata Punch Adventure S CNG variant costs Rs. 8.55 lakh. It’s Rs.60,000 more expensive than the Adventure CNG trim.

The Punch Adventure S CNG gets the following notable additional features over Adventure:

In the Adventure S trim, you may miss features like:

• Rear camera
• Rear defogger
• Rear washer wiper
• LED DRLs
• Projector or LED headlamps

Thanks to high-value features like sunroof, the Adventure S variant offers a better value for money score than the lower 2 variants — 89%. Hence, it’s worth considering if you don’t want to stretch your budget any further. However, if you can, the jump up to the Accomplished Plus  (with or without the sunroof) is a far better choice. Although, the price jump is quite steep. So, we can’t ask all of our readers to make that upgrade, but if you can, you certainly should.

Tata Punch CNG Adventure S vs Adventure Plus S Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Tata Punch Adventure Plus S CNG variant costs Rs. 9.05 lakh. It’s Rs. 50,000 more expensive than the Adventure S trim.

The Punch Adventure Plus S CNG gets the following notable additional features over Adventure S:

Even in the well-loaded Adventure Plus S trim, you may miss features like:

• Rear defogger
• Auto AC

Just like the Adventure S, the Adventure Plus S is also a solid upgrade. But if you can afford this variant, then we’d like you to strongly consider buying either the Accomplished Plus or the Accomplished Plus S (with sunroof). This upgrade will add a lot of features, which you’ll end up using in your day-to-day driving and quickly get used to them. For a superior ownership experience, we’ll advise you to consider one of the top 2 most expensive Punch CNG variants depending on your preference for sunroof.

Tata Punch CNG Adventure vs Accomplished Plus Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Tata Punch Accomplished Plus CNG variant costs Rs. 9.40 lakh. It’s Rs. 1.45 lakh more expensive than the Adventure CNG trim.

The Punch Accomplished Plus CNG gets the following notable additional features over Adventure:

In the Accomplished Plus, you may miss features like:

• Rear armrest
• TPMS

The Accomplished Plus earns our top recommendation and offers 87% value for money. If you’re interested in sunroof, then you can buy the Accomplished Plus S variant, which ends up offering better value for money. However, both are equally good and easy to recommend to any Punch CNG buyer.

Tata Punch CNG Accomplished Plus vs Accomplished Plus S Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The top-spec Accomplished Plus S CNG variant costs Rs. 9.90 lakh. It’s Rs. 50,000 more costlier than the lower Accomplished Plus variant.

The Punch Accomplished Plus S CNG gets the following notable additional features over Accomplished Plus:

In the top-spec Accomplished Plus S trim also, you may miss the same 2 important features as lower Accomplished Plus variant:

• Rear armrest
• TPMS

The most important difference between the Accomplished Plus S and the non-S variant is the sunroof. Based on your preference for the feature, you can buy either of the top 2 variants and you won’t go wrong.

Which Variant Of The Tata Punch CNG Should You Buy?

From a value standpoint, the base variant is the best choice and worth buying for budget buyers. The Adventure and Adventure Rhythm variants offer terrible value for money and are not recommended despite adding several must-have features.

However, once you get to the Adventure S or higher variants, you start seeing reasonable value for money scores because of the addition of high-value features like a sunroof. Here, the Adventure S and Adventure Plus S are both worth considering, but we’ll strongly advise that you choose either the Accomplished Plus or Accomplished Plus S. Both of these offer good value for money and a far superior ownership experience because of a balanced feature set for the asking price.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Tata Punch CNG?

Just like its competitors, the Punch also has a normal petrol engine. With 73.5PS power and 103Nm torque output, the figures are slightly better than the Exter CNG. In terms of fuel efficiency, the Punch CNG and Exter CNG are on par and offer around 27kmpkg mileage.

What Are The Dimensions Of The Tata Punch CNG?

The Punch and Exter are similar in dimensions. One area where the difference is visible is the tyre size. While the Exter has 14-inch and 15-inch wheel options for the CNG variants, the Punch only offers 15-inch wheels. Another area where the Punch CNG shines exceptionally well is with the boot space. With its split 2 gas cylinders, the Punch CNG offers a usable 210-litre cargo volume while the Exter barely offers any boot space at all.

What Are The Colour Options Of The Tata Punch CNG?

The Punch CNG is available in the following 5 monotone exterior colour options:

• Orange
• Light blue
• White
• Grey
• Brown

To find out the variant-wise colour option availability of the Punch CNG, you can visit the following link:

Tata Punch – All Exterior Colour Options (Variant-wise)

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.

You can read more about vehicle segmentation at the following link:

Car Segments Explained - With Body Styles And Examples