Tata Tiago EV: Long Term Introduction

What’s it like to live with Tata’s most affordable electric car? 

The Tata Tiago EV, quite simply, is the best version of the Tiago there is. Compared to the top model of the Tiago petrol-automatic, it costs approximately Rs 4 lakh more. Does that seem justified or is it just an unnecessary hassle? 

We have the Tiago EV with us for a full three months to figure out just that. 

Home Charging Is A Must Have

For a Tiago EV to be your daily driver, it’s almost compulsory that you have a charging point in your parking spot. This requires permissions from your housing society and/or landlord and is the best way you can ensure that the Tiago electric has charge every time you need it. 

If you are stuck in a situation like mine, where installing a charger is not possible — you are dependent on charging stations. Here, not only is the cost of charging higher, but it also includes the hassle of downloading multiple apps, adding money to the digital wallet and, even after all that, sometimes just waiting around for a charger to get free. We’ll do a quick comparison of multiple private charging stations in a subsequent report, but first impressions suggest this process requires some getting used to. 

On a separate note, Tata claims DC fast charging from 10-80 percent is dealt with in 58 minutes. We had verified this claim (Tiago EV charge time full report) — where the Tiago EV took exactly 57 minutes to charge from 10-80 percent. Now a 70 percent charge in under an hour seems great on its own, but it’s important to remember that this translates into just about 140km of range. 

Considering fast charging repeatedly isn’t good for the battery in any case, we’d recommend you fast charge only when you absolutely have to. Otherwise, it’s much better to have the Tiago EV charge overnight at a relaxed pace. 

• Electric (EV) Charging Stations in India

Range Anxiety -> Range Surety

When we drove the Tiago EV to absolute 0 percent  for an episode of ‘Drive2Death’ on ZigWheels, we learnt that the Tiago could comfortably do  about 200km on a full charge inside the city. We’d also learnt that it’s better to rely on the battery percentage more than the range to get a clear idea of how much you can realistically drive. 

The Tiago EV we have on test now, similarly returns around 200km on a full charge or about2km for every percent of battery. We’ve done  multiple runs inside Mumbai city and at this point, there’s a certain sense of surety that I won’t be left stranded or anxious searching for a charger. 

On one particular instance, I thought I’d be cutting it a little close. Left home with 110km of range, covered 94km within the city and had 34km to spare. As you spend more time with the Tiago EV, you learn to trust it a little more. 

Now that I trust the Tiago EV, enough, it’s time to spend some more time behind the wheel. There are a few apprehensions already, primarily to do with in-cabin storage spaces and how well the white interior is going to hold up — especially since a hyper toddler is ferried in it quite often. Watch this space for more updates and don’t forget to follow @CarDekho on Instagram for some fun reels (like the one below)! 

A post shared by CarDekho India (@cardekhoindia)

Positives: Compact Size, Chiller AC, Predictable 200km range

Negatives: White interiors likely to get dirty easily

Date When Received: 26 October 2023

Kilometres When Received: 2800km

Kilometres Till Now: 3200km