Automatic Cars In India Under Rs 5 Lakh: Renault Kwid, Datsun redi-GO, Maruti Alto, Tata Tiago & More

All cars that feature in this list are hatchbacks and get an AMT (automated manual transmission) only

With the traffic situation in our cities only getting worse by the day, the desire for hassle-free driving is understandably on the rise. The growing inclination of buyers towards automatic cars is a testament to this fact. Sighting the opportunity, carmakers too have lined up their affordable automatics for those on a tight budget. So today, let’s take a look at the cars that you can buy with a budget of Rs 5 lakh.

Tata Nano

Gear-shift type: Stick

Manual shift option: Yes

The country’s most affordable hatchback, the Tata Nano is available with an AMT (automated manual transmission) gearbox too. The compact city car is powered by a 624cc petrol engine which puts out max power of 38PS and peak torque of 51Nm. While the manual Nano returns a claimed fuel efficiency of 23.9kmpl, the AMT’s figure reads 21.9kmpl. At Rs 3.04 lakh, the Nano is also the most affordable automatic car in India. It is tagged at a premium of Rs 41,000 (approx.) above its manual variant.

Datsun Redi-GO

Gear-shift type: Stick

Manual shift option: Yes

The Datsun Redi-GO is the most recent addition to the list of affordable automatic cars in the country. Though it is available with two engine choices – a 799cc and a 1.0-litre petrol, only the bigger engine gets the automatic transmission. The 1.0-litre engine produces 68PS/91Nm and returns impressive fuel efficiency of 22.5kmpl with its manual and AMT versions. Buyers wanting the automatic redi-GO need to shell out Rs 17,000 (approx.) more over its manual versions. That’s the least amount you need to pay for an automatic version over the manual one in this list.

Renault Kwid

Gear-shift type: Rotary dial

Manual shift option: No

The Redi-GO’s platform-sharing cousin, the Renault Kwid was the first to get an AMT of the two. It also gets two engine options like the Redi-GO: a 799cc and a 1.0-litre petrol. The smaller motor puts out max power of 54PS/72Nm whereas the bigger pot produces 68PS/91Nm. Similar to the Datsun, the Kwid is also linked to the AMT in its more powerful avatar. The Kwid Climber, an aesthetically beefed up Kwid, also gets the automated treatment, which makes the Kwid the only car in this list to offer the option of an AMT in three variants.

Despite sharing the same set of engines, the Kwid AMT returns higher fuel efficiency of 24.04kmpl than the Datsun Redi-GO (that’s even higher than its manual version’s 23.01kmpl). Thanks to the rotary dial gearbox, Kwid AMT users cannot enjoy the fun of manual gear shifts when they wish to. The Kwid also doesn’t get a creep mode, which the redi-GO AMT does. Each AMT variant of the Kwid is Rs 30,000 (approx.) costlier than it manual counterpart.

Maruti Alto K10

Gear-shift type: Stick

Manual shift option: Yes

Having recently completed a record 35 lakh sales in the country, the Alto nameplate also gets an AMT gearbox with its more powerful 1.0-litre K10 avatar. Developing max power of 68PS and a peak torque of 90Nm, the Alto K10 is paired to a 5-speed manual transmission or an AMT a.k.a. AGS (auto gear shift) gearbox. The Maruti hatch returns with a claimed mileage of 24.07kmpl with both its manual and automatic variants.

The clutch-less version is offered only in its top-spec VXI(O) variant. It costs Rs 32,000 (approx.) more over its regular manual variant.

Tata Tiago

Gear-shift type: Stick

Manual shift option: Yes

Tata Motors’ hero hatchback, the Tiago, has been raking in good sales numbers month over month. Among other factors, the availability of automatic transmission adds another checkmark on the list of why one should opt for the Tiago. While the Tiago gets an AMT option in two variants – XTA and XZA – it’s only the former variant that falls under the Rs 5 lakh mark (sticking to our theme of automatic cars under Rs 5 lakh). The automatic option is also available on the petrol engine only. Powering the Tiago AMT is a 1,199cc petrol engine which produces 85PS/114Nm and returns a fuel efficiency of 23.84kmpl - exactly the same as its manual versions. The regular variants of the Tata hatch incur Rs 37,000 (approx.) more for the addition of the AMT gearbox.   

Maruti Wagon R

Gear-shift type: Stick

Manual shift option: Yes

The Maruti Wagon R has been around for a while and its consistent appearance in the top 5 best-selling cars speaks of its popularity in the country. The Japanese automaker equipped the Wagon R with an AMT in 2016 to cater to buyers looking for affordable automatic cars. Under the hood of the WagonR AMT is a 998cc petrol engine which produces 68PS and 90Nm. With the AMT paired, this engine returns a decent fuel economy of 20.51 kmpl, the same as its manual variants. The addition of AMT costs Rs 46,000 (approx.) more over the VXI with manual transmission. The cost of opting for an AMT over the manual transmission is the highest in the WagonR amongst all the cars listed here. While the WagonR AMT is available in three variants, only one, the VXI variant, falls under the Rs 5 lakh mark.

Maruti Celerio

Gear-shift type: Stick

Manual shift option: Yes

The Maruti Celerio was the first car to get the automated manual transmission (AMT) technology in the country. Powered by a 998cc petrol engine developing 68PS/90Nm, the Celerio gets automatic option in the VXI, ZXI and the ZXI(O) variants. However, it’s only the VXI AMT variant that falls close to the Rs 5 lakh mark; all other variants are more expensive. With the 5-speed AMT gearbox linked, the hatchback returns a claimed fuel efficiency of 23.1kmpl, exactly the same as its manual variants. The Celerio VXI AMT costs Rs 43,000 (approx.) more over its manual counterpart.

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