April 2024 - Tata Tiago EV Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Tata Tiago EV?

The pros or advantages of Tata Tiago EV are:

• Most affordable 4-door electric car for personal use with a mass market friendly design
• Fairly long list of features like auto-dimming inside mirror, cruise control, auto projector headlamps, auto wipers, power mirrors, and keyless entry
• 7.2kW AC fast charging is standard on variants even if you buy lower variants; this feature is not even available as an option with the more expensive Tigor
• DC fast charging is also standard with CCS-2 connector
• 4 regen modes — including regen off — allows you to select the most appropriate regen option based on the driving conditions and driving style

The Tata Tiago EV has the following shortcomings or problems:

• Telematics are available as standard making it a no-go for buyers who value digital privacy more than remote accessible features
• The platform is not designed for an EV and derived out of the Tiago petrol; thus, it doesn’t enjoy some of the EV-specific benefits, which aren’t apparent to most buyers
• Missing front armrest and rear armrest even in the top model costing almost Rs. 12.0 lakh ex-showroom
• Rs. 1.0 lakh incremental asking price for the additional ~5kWh is atrocious even by Tata’s own standards; their Punch EV offers 10kWh with the long range variants for Rs. 1.0 lakh align with a significantly higher power and torque output and more features
• Real-world range for Tata EVs is significantly lower than their ARAI claims (30-40%); even with a very conservative driving style, we noticed a 25-30% lower range than claimed figure while the Comet meets the ARAI figure with conservative driving and the range only drops by ~10% with load and aggressive driving style; thus the Comet EV will offer better real-world range than the Tiago EV base model
• A rare car where we found it difficult to recommend buying any variant

What Is The Price Of Tata Tiago EV Variants?

The Tata Tiago EV is available in 4 main variants — XE, XT, XZ Plus and XZ Plus Lux. The lower 2 variants get the option of a smaller battery pack and cost Rs. 7.99 lakh and Rs. 8.99 lakh, respectively. XT variant onwards, you get the larger battery pack option with prices ranging from Rs. 9.99 lakh to Rs. 11.39 lakh (ex-showroom). Because of the variant overlap in the Tigor XT, we can say that Tata are asking for Rs. 1.0 lakh for about 5kWh of additional battery capacity.

This cost is exorbitant even by Tata Motors’ standards. For instance, in the Punch EV, the price jump from 25kWh variants to 35kWh variants is Rs. 1.0 lakh. And the larger battery pack also brings more power, torque and features in the Punch EV Long Range. In the Tiago EV long-range, the asking price is more than double that of what Tata are asking for with the Punch EV.

The top 2 variants are also available with a faster 7.2kW AC charger for an additional price of Rs. 50,000.

Note: Check your Car EMI with our - Car EMI Calculator

Tata Tiago EV XE - Base Model Standard Features

The XE base model of the Tiago EV is only available with the smaller battery pack and costs Rs. 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The most notable features of the Tiago EV’s XE variant are:

In this variant, you may miss features like:

• Body-coloured door handles and painted outside mirrors
• Remote central locking
• Power windows (even the front windows are manual)
• Power mirrors
• Wheel covers
• Steering-mounted controls
• Touchscreen
• Height-adjustable driver seat
• Rear camera
• Rear parcel tray

In the base model of the Tiago EV, you don’t get several must-have features we should expect from a car costing Rs. 8.0 lakh (ex-showroom). Moreover, based on our own range testing, that of many other online platforms and multiple interactions with Tata EV owners, we’ve found that the deviation from the ARAI claimed range to be in the 35-40% range. That means, you should expect only 60-65% of the official claimed range from a Tata EV. Even with a conservative driving style, there’s a deviation of 20-30% from the claimed range.

With these 2 points in mind (poor real-word range and missing features), we find it very difficult to recommend the Tiago EV base model. The only reason to recommend to even the Tiago EV buyers on a shoestring budget is that the higher variants offer terrible value for money.

Otherwise, if your usage allows, you should strongly consider buying the Comet EV. For this electric micro car, even in real-world driving, the range deviates only 10-20% from the claimed figure. That gives it a longer real-world range than the Tiago EV base model. Moreover, even the base model of the Comet EV comes far better equipped than the Tiago EV base variant, which makes it a truly viable option for budget buyers.

Tata Tiago EV XE vs XT Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Tiago EV’s XT variant costs Rs. 8.99 lakh, which is Rs. 1.0 lakh more than the XE variant. For another Rs. 1.0 lakh, you can have the Tiago EV XT variant with the larger battery pack and it carries an ex-showroom price of Rs. 9.99 lakh.

The XT variant of the Tiago EV gets the following additional notable features over the base XE variant:

In the XT variant, you may miss feature like:

• Height-adjustable driver seat
• Cruise control
• Front and rear armrests
• Rear camera
• Rear parcel tray
• Rear defogger
• Rear washer wiper

Because of the range concerns in the Tiago EV base model, we can’t safety recommend you the Medium Range variants. Then, the upgrade to the XT variant itself is quite absurdly priced for the incremental features it offers. The XT MR only manages to justify about 66% of the higher cost over the XE MR. and the XT LR worsens it to 63% as its larger battery cost is just as absurd.

The Tiago EV’s XT MR and XT LR variants are also not recommended for buyers.

Tata Tiago EV XT vs XZ Plus Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The XZ Plus variant onwards, you only get the Tiago EV with the larger battery pack and it costs Rs. 90,000 more than the comparable XT Long Range variant. The Tiago EV XZ Plus costs Rs. 10.89 lakh with the 3.3kW charger and Rs. 11.39 lakh with the more powerful 7.2kW AC charger.

The Tiago EV’s XZ Plus variant gets the following notable additional features over the XT trim:

In the Tiago EV XZ Plus, which costs over Rs. 11.0 lakh, you are certain to miss front and rear armrests, which should be included considering the price tag of the car.

The XZ Plus variant is quite well equipped, although not as well as we expect from a hatchback in the Rs. 11.0 lakh price range. It only barely manages to beat the lower XT variant in terms of value by justifying about 70% of the cost over the base variant with all the additional features.

The fast charger further worsens its value proposition as it costs Rs. 50,000 more. The typical market price for a 3.3kW AC Type-2 EV charger is about Rs. 20,000 while the price of the 7.2kW charger is Rs. 30,000. Considering that the 7.2kW AC charger variant adds Rs. 50,000 for replacing the 3.3kW charger with 7.2kW one, it too comes across as crazy expensive. Realistically, a Rs. 10,000 incremental price would have perfectly justified the premium while even a Rs. 20,000 gap would have been justifiable.

As things stand, both the XZ Plus variant options of the Tiago EV are not recommended.

If you could stretch your budget, you should seriously consider the Punch EV Adventure Long Range. Not only is it our top recommended Punch EV variant, for a reasonable asking price over the Tiago EV it also offers some benefits, such as:

• Larger, SUV body style
• Better ground clearance
• Superior touchpoint quality
• Fresh design
• Far better performance
• New skateboard EV platform
• Much better value for money (most important)

Note For Tiago Fast Charge Buyers: Just buying the faster charger isn’t going to charge the car much faster. You’ll also need the wiring at your house to support such high power consumption. Around 7.5kW of power consumption means simultaneously running FIVE 1.5 ton air conditioners.

Moreover, you’ll need the higher wattage connection to dispense the higher power output. You should check the charging speeds at home before booking to buy the 7.2kW AC charger variant. Since all variants of the Tata Tiago EV are compatible with the faster AC charger, you could even purchase it later. Meanwhile, at compatible public charging stations with higher output AC charging, you could charge even the 3.3kW variants at ~7kW speeds.

Tata Tiago EV XZ Plus vs XZ Plus Lux Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The XZ Plus Lux top model of the Tata Tiago EV costs Rs. 11.39 lakh with the larger battery pack and is Rs. 50,000 pricier than the lower XZ Plus variant. Here too it’ll cost you Rs. 50,000 if you want a faster AC charger.

The Tiago EV’s XZ Plus Lux top model, you get the following additional features:

Similarly, the top model of the Tiago EV is reasonably loaded and covers the basics pretty well. But it too offers poor value for money.

Here too, our recommendation is to instead stretch your budget and consider the Punch EV Adventure Long Range variant. It costs Rs. 12.99 lakh (ex-showroom) and offers far superior value with better styling and touch point quality than the Tiago EV XZ Plus Lux.

Which Variant Of The Tata Tiago EV Should You Buy?

The base model of the Tiago EV is too basic for most buyers. Still, this is the only one we could recommend that too only to budget buyers who don't want the Comet EV and don’t want to compromise heavily on the value. This recommendation comes with a heavy heart as the higher variants of the Tiago EV offer such pathetic value for money that none of the variants earns our top recommendation. In fact, none is even worth considering.

For the incremental price, you end up compromising at 30% in value no matter which variant you pick. For higher variant buyers, we find it much easier to recommend buying the Punch EV’s Adventure Long Range variant, which is the top recommendation for Punch EV buyers.

For a couple more lakh of rupees, the Punch EV Adventure LR will offer you the following:

• Far superior value for money
• SUV body style
• Fresh design
• Higher touchpoint quality
• Better performance

As things stand, none of the variants of the Tiago EV earn our recommendation. For budget buyers, the Comet EV comes across as a better choice while higher variant buyers should consider stretching for the Punch EV.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Tata Tiago EV?

The Tiago EV has 2 battery options - 19.2kWh and 24kWh. The Medium Range and Long Range options claim to offer 250km and 315km of range, respectively. They’re all capable of charging at speeds of up to 7.2kW using a Type-2 AC charger but if you want the charger at the time of purchase, then that option is only available with the top 2 variants for an additional Rs. 50,000. Do note that while the Comet EV also has 7.4kW AC fast charging option, you’re mostly just paying for the capability. The charger you get with the car is still only a 3.3kW one. However, unlike the Comet EV, the Tiago EV is capable of DC fast charging using the CCS-2 connector. With this option, during the typical usage of 10-80% charging, the Tiago EV can fill up in about an hour.

In terms of power output, the Tiago EV offers 61PS with the MR and 75PS with the LR variants. Similarly, the torque output is also lower at 110Nm with the MR variants and 114 with the LR variants. Hence, besides the larger battery paci, you also get slightly better performance if you buy an LR variant.

*Estimated based on typical usage, charging speed and battery capacity

You can use our Fuel Cost Calculator to see how any petrol, diesel or CNG car will cost to run based on the latest fuel price in your city.

Fuel Cost Calculator in India

What Are The Dimensions Of The Tata Tiago EV?

In terms of dimensions, the Tiago EV is obviously larger than the Comet but it has less height. While the Tiago EV has a larger boot space, the Comet offers split-folding rear seatbacks to flexibly store some luggage. However, because of the missing rear doors, getting in and out of the Comet’s rear seats is challenging for adults.

Find out how you can get the best mileage or fuel efficiency from your car:

10 Tips To Get Better Mileage From Your Petrol, Diesel Or CNG Car

What Are The Colour Options Of The Tata Tiago EV?

The Tiago EV is available in the following 5 colour options:

• White
• Dark blue
• Light blue
• Black
• Grey

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

2024 Tata Tiago EV – 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.

Also Read: Car Segments Explained - With Body Styles And Examples