New Tata Punch EV's One-Above-Base Smart Plus Variant Explained

Tata Motors has recently launched its new Punch EV with plentiful updates ranging from cosmetic enhancements, added features and bigger battery packs. The electric micro-SUV is being offered in five broad variants: Smart, Smart Plus, Adventure, Empowered and Empowered Plus. While we have already covered the base Smart variant here, let’s take a look at what the one-above-base Smart Plus trim is like: 

Tata Punch EV Smart Plus: Exterior

Up front, the Punch EV Smart Plus variant looks nearly identical to higher variants, with sleek LED DRLs being offered, along with the reworked bumper and a textured skid plate at the bottom. However, this too gets halogen headlamps like the base Smart variant, and the absence of fog lamps too is a giveaway of its positioning lower in the range.

In profile though, the Smart Plus variant looks basic, but by no means cheap. You still get to see blacked-out A-, B- and C- pillars for a ‘floating-roof’ effect. The front door handles and ORVMs on this trim come finished in black and it also retains the 15-inch steel wheels (16-inch with LR) with black wheel caps for some style. The mid-spec Adventure variant (read about it here) gets stylised steel wheels mimicing the design of an alloy rim. You can also read about what upgrades the Adventure gets over the Smart Plus by tapping on this link. 

At the rear-end, the only change compared to higher variants is the omission of connected LED taillamps and instead gets a halogen cluster, with the connecting strip being a dummy unit. Besides this, this variant also gets a roof spoiler to complete the look. You can also take a look at how the Punch EV looks in real life here.

Tata Punch EV Smart Plus: Interior

Inside the cabin is where the Smart Plus variant feels like a major upgrade over the base trim. It still has the dual-tone white and black dashboard, but the two-spoke illuminated steering wheel also features audio controls on the left spoke. You can also read here to know the exact updates the Smart Plus gets over Smart. 

The addition of a touchscreen infotainment system and the new toggle-like power window switches also make the cabin feel more premium, while there is also a gloss-black centre console with a rotary gearshifter featuring a knurled finish (LR version only).

Tata Punch EV Smart Plus: Features

The Smart Plus variant adds a lot of useful equipment to the Punch EV, such as an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 4-speaker sound system, multi-drive modes(LR only), a remote key with central locking, paddle shifters for regen, wired Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and a day/night IRVM. Read about what other variants of the Tata Punch EV gets in this report. 

Safety features onboard include 6 airbags, rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and electronic stability program (ESP). Opting for the LR variants will also get you an electronic parking brake with auto-hold (EPB), hill hold control (HHC) and reverse parking camera in addition to the above. Higher-spec variants like the Empowered (detailed decode here) further come with a 360-degree camera and a blind spot monitor. 

Obviously, it's the top-spec variant Empowered Plus S variant that comes with all the bells and whistles (read what it packs here). 

Tata Punch EV Smart Plus: Powertrain

The Smart Plus variant is the only variant in the lineup to be offered with Medium Range (30 kWh) and Long Range (40 kWh) battery options. Here are the detailed specifications of these powertrains:

*Under certification

We have also detailed the Punch EV’s variant-wise powertrain split here.

Tata Punch EV Smart Plus: Price & Rivals.

Tata Motors has priced the Smart Plus variant from Rs 10.29 lakh (ex-showroom) for the MR version without the Battery-as-a-service rental programme. The carmaker has not yet disclosed prices with the BaaS opted for. 

All prices ex-showroom pan-India

The Tata Punch EV has only one direct rival in the form of the Citroen eC3, but it can also be considered an alternative to EVs like the MG Windsor EV, Mahindra XUV 3XO EV and its sibling, the Tata Nexon EV. Interested customers can read more about the Tata Punch EV and its other aspects in our Ultimate Buying Guide. 

CarDekho Says…

The Smart Plus variant, is truly the ‘Smart’ buy in the Punch EV line-up, especially for buyers looking to skip fancy features, but still wanting all the essentials. The availability of the 40 kWh battery pack will also be a boon for customers doing a lot of highway runs. Furthermore, with prices just a shade above the Rs 10 lakh figure, it doesn’t break the bank either but we wish it was offered with more colour options to make it feel more vibrant.