10 Affordable Cars With Built-In Air Purifiers To Consider This Diwali

Diwali is a time for celebration, but it also coincides with a sharp deterioration in air quality across several Indian cities. The combination of festive fireworks, rising pollution levels and changing weather conditions can make the air particularly unhealthy, especially in parts of North India. And with poor air quality often lingering through the winter months, what you breathe inside your car matters too.

A built-in air purifier can help filter some airborne pollutants inside the cabin, making it a useful feature for families who spend a lot of time on the road. If you’re planning to buy a new car this festive season, here are 10 of the most affordable models in India that offer an in-built air purifier, along with the variants that come equipped with it.

Tata Punch

The list, as you keep on reading, is majorly filled with Tata products like the Punch, Punch EV, Nexon, and Curvv, showing you how much the brand thinks of its customers. However, the air purifier in the Punch is only available on the top trims: Adventure and Accomplished. It’s only with the recent facelift that this subcompact SUV got the wellness feature, making it the only car under Rs 10 lakh with it.

The Punch can be had with a variety of engine options on offer: a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol, the same engine with a CNG kit from the factory, and a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine. While the petrol and CNG come with the option of an AMT (automated manual transmission), the turbo-petrol is only available with a manual. Additionally, the turbo is also the only engine to get a 6-speed manual, while the other two make do with 5-speed units.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

The first Maruti Suzuki on this list is the newly facelifted Brezza. With this update, the Brezza gets a new 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system that comes with a built-in air purifier system, like we’ve seen in the Victoris too. This infotainment system is only available on the top-spec ZXI+ trim, and hence the air purifier is also only available on the top trim.

Like the Punch, the Brezza’s facelift also introduced a new turbo-petrol engine to the powertrain mix of the compact SUV. It’s the same 1-litre turbo-petrol unit as the Fronx, but with 10 PS and 20 Nm more than its sibling. While it is solely available with a 6-speed manual (Fronx still has a 5-speed unit), the existing 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine is exclusively available with the 6-speed torque converter automatic.

Kia Sonet

Kia has been one of the pioneers in the Indian automotive space when it comes to offering an in-built air purifier, and the Sonet was one of the first affordable cars in our market to get one. It is still offered and comes with a dedicated unit mounted on the front centre armrest. While other cars on this list rely on the touchscreen for the air purifier, getting dedicated controls is a nice touch.

Like most cars on this list, the air purifier is limited to the top trims of the Sonet. Furthermore, it can be had with all engine options offered with the Sonet. You get the choice of a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol, a 1-litre turbo-petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel, mated to either a 6-speed manual, a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic or a 6-speed torque converter automatic.

Tata Nexon

Even though the air purifier is limited to the Fearless+ trim of the Nexon, Tata is offering this trim in 19 variants. That’s more than the overall variant offering of some of its rivals. The Nexon Fearless+ gets an air purifier integrated into the touchscreen infotainment system, like other Tata cars on this list. Also, the Sonet is the oldest car on this list, as its facelift is also around 3 years old.

If you’re looking to buy the Nexon, you have the option of either a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine or a 1.5-litre diesel engine, or even a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol with a CNG kit from the factory. While CNG is only available with a 6-speed manual, the turbo-petrol and diesel also get a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox option.

Tata Punch EV

If you think that protecting the Earth from harmful gases is equally important as protecting yourself from harmful pollution, then the Punch EV is the perfect choice for you. Like all other cars, the Punch EV also offers the air purifier only on the top-spec Empowered variants.

While the Punch EV is also available with a 30 kWh battery pack, the air purifier is only available with the larger 40 kWh unit that develops 129 PS and 154 Nm. Since it’s an electric, it obviously has an automatic transmission.

Honda Elevate

Would you believe it that this list is filled with cars that were recently launched and/or updated? The Elevate is the most recently updated car on this list. It shows that manufacturers are realising that an air purifier is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The Elevate has always been a no-nonsense car, and the facelift just improves upon it.

Like before, the Elevate is only available with a single engine option: a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed continuously variable transmission (automatic).

Tata Curvv

Like its smaller sibling Nexon, the Curvv also gets the in-built air purifier with the top-spec Accomplished X trim. It can be had either with the Accomplished X or Accomplished X+ (which gets ADAS). It’s obvious but worth mentioning that the air purifier settings are built into the touchscreen infotainment system, like other Tatas here.

The Curvv is available with a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine, a 1.2-litre TGDi engine, and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The TGDi is only available with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, while the other two also get the option of a 6-speed manual.

Nissan Tekton Renault Duster

It makes sense to combine the Tekton and Duster for this list because both are essentially the same cars but in different clothes. Both get an inbuilt air purifier in the Google-based touchscreen infotainment system. This wellness feature is available on the top-spec trims of both these midsize SUVs.

The Duster gets this feature on the newly introduced hybrid powertrain as well, along with the 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine. Interestingly, only the Tekton offers the air purifier with the 1-litre turbo-petrol engine, even though the engine is available with the Duster too.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Along with the Brezza, the Victoris also gets an air purifier, as both come with the touchscreen infotainment system. Unlike the Brezza, this feature is also available on the second-from-top trim, the ZXI+. Interestingly, both Maruti Suzuki models listed here are sold through its more mass-market Arena dealerships.

The Victoris is offered with a variety of powertrain and drivetrain options. It comes with a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic, with the latter also getting the option of an all-wheel-drive system. The other powertrain on offer is the 1.5-litre strong hybrid unit.

Kia Carens Clavis

The final car on this list is the most unique one too. The Carens Clavis is the only MPV on this list to come with an air purifier. The Clavis is the facelifted version of the Carens, which too was the only MPV under Rs 20 lakh to offer an air purifier at the time. Unlike the Sonet, the air purifier of the Carens Clavis is mounted behind the driver’s seat.

The Carens Clavis is available with the option of a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine or a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The former gets three gearbox options: a 6-speed manual, a 6-speed iMT and a 7-speed DCT. On the other hand, the latter is available with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic. It also gets a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and a CNG (recently introduced), but they don’t get an air purifier.

CarDekho Says…

It’s great to see so many cars getting a built-in air purifier, with the 10 most affordable cars falling under the Rs 20 lakh price bracket. However, we feel that, given the situation of the climate, not just in winter but throughout the year, the air purifier shouldn’t be restricted to just top-spec variants of not just these cars but every car it is offered in. If you’re looking to ferry a family of more than five, you only have one option: the Kia Carens Clavis. If you’re looking for something fun to drive, the Brezza Turbo, Sonet, Duster, and Tekton should strike your fancy. However, if you’re looking for extremely sensible cars in this list, then you can’t go wrong with Punch, Nexon and Elevate. But if you’re looking for something that looks unique on our roads, the Curvv is your best bet.