Tata's latest EV has high hopes pinned on it. Can it deliver?

The Tiago EV already had over 20,000 bookings under its belt, much before anyone could even take the car for a test drive. An afternoon with it in Goa tells us that they made the right decision

- Afzal Rawuther

The Tata Tiago EV will most likely be the first EV for most buyers once it is more readily available. It is the most affordable EV from a mainstream manufacturer and Tata has gone to some serious lengths to deliver a product that doesn't seem to make any compromises, at least on paper. We got our hands on the Tata Tiago EV and put it to test through a variety of road conditions in Goa.

The Tata Tiago EV, as you'd guess from the name, is based on the Tata Tiago platform with an electric drivetrain, of course. And Tata has made no effort to hide that fact. That is understandable. Car makers do tend to go overboard trying to differentiate their EV and it doesn't always result in an objectively good-looking car. The Tiago, to begin with, is a very good-looking hatchback. It has an approachable face, perfect proportions and a clean overall silhouette. Tata has not fiddled with what was a successful design. Instead, they have added a few elements so that the Tiago EV stands out from its ICE sibling. There is the EV badging on the front, the sides and back, a blacked-out grille and a light blue bar running below the grille. On the side, there are distinctive looking wheel covers on the 14-inch wheels. Then there's the three exterior paint options that aren't offered with the regular Tiago. These changes, in my opinion, do enough to distinguish an EV from its ICE sibling.