HIGH-FLYING INDIANS

WHICH IS THE BEST RS 30 LAKH HOMEGROWN EV?

- 

It's genuinely commendable that for about 30 lakh, you have cars like the Tata Harrier EV and Mahindra XEV 9e from homegrown Indian carmakers that are right up there with any EV you might think of globally.

But with EVs, there's always quite a bit that's still unknown and it's always interesting to see how carmakers address the fairly new challenges that come with this tech. So how do the Harrier EV and XEV 9e stack up in this sense? but more importantly for you, how do these premium electric SUVs perform? And quite simply, which one is the better pick? To get as close to a real experience as possible, we decided to drive these in peak Mumbai traffic to find out.

Styling, dimensions

The Tata Harrier EV and Mahindra XEV 9e may look similar on paper, but these get here via fundamentally differing philosophies. The Harrier EV is derived from an existing ICE product, while the XEV 9e is a clean-slate 'born electric'. The way they look follows this thought closely.

The Harrier EV is familiar, following the proportionate and substantial presence of the ICE model. A lot of this is down to it being a significant 225mm wider and 46mm taller than the XEV 9e. The average onlooker may miss it altogether if it wasn't for the stunning paint in the car seen here or the striking wheel covers. You have just a smattering of EV cues like the blanked-out grille and highlighting, so if you want to fly under the radar with your EV ownership, the Tata is for you.

The Mahindra, conversely, makes a big show of it. It's bold and stands out and is a major departure from anything the brand has put out earlier. The long coupe silhouette seems to enhance the fact that it is 182mm longer than the Harrier EV. The bold lighting and surfaces give it more presence than the Harrier, even though it is shorter and narrower.

Load space