Tata Punch

The Tata Punch is not just Tata’s best selling model, but was also the most sold car of India in 2024. It was the country’s first proper micro SUV and stood out from all the hatchbacks with its balance of comfort, practicality, features and safety. 

While it did have a head start in terms of no direct competition when it was first introduced, cars such as the Hyundai Exter now go up directly against the Punch. So what exactly makes this small SUV so appealing to the masses, and is there any room for improvement? We find all the answers.

The Punch’s design inspiration lies in the Indian One Horned Rhino, and we’ve got to say, it does look like one. Interesting fact — there is a small rhino motif on the rear windscreen as an ode to this majestic animal! 

Despite the compact size, the Tata Punch’s styling looks powerful and purposeful, making it stand out immediately. It looks like a proper mini SUV with its high 187mm ground clearance and rugged-looking cladding.

Viewed from the front, it’s easy to draw parallels with larger SUVs in the Tata range. The LED daytime running lamps and projector headlamp placement reminds you of the Harrier. Tata designers have also added a tri-arrow pattern on the grille and lower half of the bumper which lends it some flair.

In profile, 16-inch alloys look modern, but it's limited to the top-spec Creative variants. Lower variants get 15-inch steel wheels with covers, no option of an alloy. The rear door handle has been neatly hidden away near the window, giving the Punch a clean side look. In the Camo edition, there’s a ‘CAMO’ wordmark on the right front fender.

The rear design too is muscular and you will find the same tri-arrow pattern on the bumper but the highlight is the tail lamps, which get a teardrop shape with the LED tri-arrow pattern. The tailgate gets ‘Punch’ lettering, just above the number plate.

The 2025 Punch is offered in multiple colours: Orcus White, Daytona Grey, Tropical Mist, Calypso Red, Meteor Bronze, and Tornado Blue. Tata Motors also offers a ‘Camo’ addition of the Punch which gets a unique ‘Seaweed Green’ paint shade along with black alloy wheels. I personally find the Camo edition’s Seaweed Green colour to be a unique shade for the Punch, but I can’t help but think how sinister the Punch would look if it had an all-black Dark edition.

While the overall styling of the Tata Punch still looks attractive with all its SUV-like cues and LED details, Tata had introduced the Punch EV with a new front design, which the petrol model did not get. As a result, it does look slightly dated in comparison, but a facelift is expected in late 2025, and will bring a fix for that.

Design and Quality

The Punch’s cabin design is simple, modern and classy.  It is finished primarily in black, with a large white contrasting element splitting the cabin. The Camo Edition features an all-black interior theme with a different pattern on the seat covers. 

Plastic quality is above average for the price point, no big issues with fit and finish either. In fact, not only do I appreciate the presence of physical buttons for the AC controls which makes it easy to use on the move, they also feel nice to interact with. Tata offers fabric upholstery for the seat, and a leatherette wrap for the steering wheel. While this is acceptable given the Punch’s price, leather upholstery would have made the experience more upmarket. 

Front Seat

Getting in and out of the Tata Punch is an easy affair, thanks to doors that open a full 90 degrees. This will be appreciated by elders in the family. Courtesy of the long range of adjustment for the seat height and steering tilt function, finding a preferred driving position is easy too. And while the low dash and window line offer good visibility up front, the thick A-pillar does create a bit of a blind spot, especially while crossing junctions.

In terms of comfort, the front seats are wide and well-contoured which make them comfortable even for long journeys. It gets adjustable headrests along with a central armrest. We wish the armrest was adjustable for height, since it’s positioned quite low for taller drivers. 

Rear seats

The rear seats of the Punch are surprisingly spacious. There’s plenty of knee room, headroom and footroom to stretch your legs out even for taller passengers. Underthigh support is ample and the backrest angle is comfortable too. Even if you’re up to 6 feet tall, you should have no issues with space here. 

It’s only the cushioning that’s a little on the softer side, which could result in a bit of discomfort over long road trips. Seating three people at the rear seats will be manageable only for short city runabouts. A central headrest will be missed on longer commutes and I feel the Punch is best used as a four-seater. 

Rear seat amenities in the Punch include rear AC vents, and an armrest. 

Storage & Practicality

The Punch offers great practicality for the front passengers with ample storage spaces for your phone, wallet, cups and keys in the form of mobile or wallet cubby on the right of the steering column and even below the centre console. The glovebox is big with a separate compartment to keep the car’s manual and papers. Door pockets aren’t massive but are well designed and can accommodate one-litre bottle with ease. There’s also a dedicated slot for a small umbrella in the door pocket and a hook on the passenger side central tunnel for hanging loose items.

The two cup holders behind the gear lever are well designed but they are placed a bit too behind as compared to the front passengers and that’s because you have to share them with the rear occupant.

The rear seat storage options could’ve been better with cup holders in the central armrest. Although, you do get seat back pockets and a small opening beneath the rear AC vents to store your phone.

Charging Options

The front occupants get a type-A and fast type-C charging port along with a 12V socket, while the rear passengers only get a USB type-A charging option. A wireless phone charger is also  available in the Tata Punch.

Features 

Tata has built a reputation for offering feature-laden packages, and the Tata Punch stays true to that repute.

It covers all basic functional features and also offers some feel-good creature comforts, and let’s start with the entertainment package.

The 10.25-inch touchscreen offers great resolution, fast responses and glitches rarely. The user interface is easy to navigate, and wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay are easy to connect. In comparison, the 4-inch MID display for the driver does look a little dated, but it is hard to fault in terms of actual functionality as it relays information in a clean manner. It gets a non-branded six speaker sound system, which offers acceptable audio quality and maintains crispness at higher volumes.

While the Tata Punch does not get a surround view 360-degree camera, I liked the picture quality of the rear view camera. It’s dynamic guidelines that help make parking easier. There’s an electric sunroof that lets more light in the cabin and makes it feel more spacious. I like that it can be operated by voice commands too.

Other feature highlights on the 2025 Punch include keyless entry, push-button start/stop, cruise control, automatic climate control and automatic headlamps and wipers.

The Tata Punch offers a good suite of safety features, apart from the availability of six airbags, which are missing in even the higher variants. Features like rear wiper and washer, rear parking camera, rear defogger, rain sensing wipers and tyre pressure warning system get added in the higher variants.

Compared to the segment, the Punch does miss out on a dashcam that the Hyundai Exter offers. In terms of safety rating, the Tata Punch had received a full five star safety rating from Global NCAP back in 2021. Child safety rating stands at four stars.

The Punch’s 360-litre boot is deep and can take up a weekend's worth of luggage with ease if you use it smartly. The rear backrest folds flat in case you need to carry bigger luggage. However, there is no 60:40 split functionality.

I recommend using medium or small-sized suitcases to make the best use of the available boot space, after which, there’s enough space for a family’s weekend getaways worth. You can store a small and medium suitcase along with a duffle bag and still have space left for small bags or items.

The Tata Punch gets a single 1.2-litre three-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine paired with either a 5-speed manual transmission or 5-speed AMT (automated manual transmission). There’s also a CNG kit with the 5-speed manual. It features two smaller CNG tanks instead of a large single cylinder, thereby offering usable bootspace. 

*AMT= Automated manual transmission

Punch Petrol 

Despite being a three cylinder engine, the Tata Punch has good refinement, wherein the noise and vibrations from the engine are well isolated in regular drive conditions. It offers smooth performance and feels at home in the city.

City Performance

The Punch’s engine offers a relaxing city commuting experience with its smooth and linear performance, and light clutch and gear action. It doesn’t struggle to pick up pace at lower speeds provided you are in the right gear and has adequate performance for city overtakes.

I found no issues with using the manual transmission even in heavy city traffic, but you can opt for the automated manual transmission (AMT) for its convenience. It isn’t particularly quick, but offers a smooth experience when driven normally, and makes drives stress-free. You will feel the delay in downshift and an accompanying jerk if you want to make a quick overtake though.

I managed to get around 12kmpl in the city with the Punch’s petrol-manual powertrain.

Highway Performance

This engine feels underpowered for high speed highway usage. It can cruise at speeds of 80-100kmph comfortably, but it takes time to reach those speeds. More so if there’s more than two passengers on board. As a result, all overtakes at high speeds will require a downshift, and some planning. Making those overtakes is slightly easier with the manual, as the AMT can hesitate to downshift quickly, and isn’t particularly smooth when driven hard as well.

I managed to get around 16kmpl on the highway with the Punch’s petrol-manual powertrain. The efficiency will be about the same for the AMT version.

Punch CNG

The experience of driving the Punch CNG isn’t all that different from the regular petrol version, and it just offers a slightly less refined experience. It is capable of starting in CNG mode directly, you need not start in petrol and then switch.

City Performance

Despite the slightly lower power and torque figures, the difference is unlikely to be felt for in-city commutes. It still picks up speed from low RPMs easily, and doesn’t require you to downshift frequently to keep up the pace with the traffic.

This powertrain is best suited for people with a high usage within the city, where the benefits of lower running costs can be reaped. Claimed fuel efficiency stands at 26.99 km/kg.

Highway performance

The petrol-powered Punch already feels like it struggles for overtakes on highways, and this becomes even more apparent with the CNG. You will constantly have to downshift to keep the pace up with highway speeds of 80-100kmph. But once there, it does feel like it's comfortable at those speeds, and the engine doesn’t feel stressed.

Ride quality

Ride quality is one of the biggest strengths of the Punch. It impressed me with its comfort over all sorts of roads, be it potholes and sharper bumpers in the city or undulations on the highway. Some side-to-side movement creeps in on really rough roads, but I found speeding up helps it settle much nicer, which in turn improves comfort. With a ground clearance of 187mm, you can easily speed up over those rough roads, and tackle any abnormally sized speed breaker without stress.

Handling

The Tata Punch is a small but tall family SUV and for that, its handing is appreciable. The car is easy to maneuver in the city or in a tight parking space with a light steering wheel weight. But taking a fast turn or even carrying high speeds on the highways feels safe and predictable. It’s not sporty like a sedan or a hatchback, and does roll a bit into the corners, but it still remains stable. With disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear, the braking performance is adequate for both city and highway use.

Overall, the ride and handling setup of the Tata Punch will rarely ever give you a reason to complain about. It tackles all bad roads like a proper SUV, but also feels stable and predictable around a fast corner.

Which variant of Tata Punch is value for money?

• The Punch 2025 is offered in four broad variants: Pure, Adventure, Accomplished+ and Creative+.

• Tata Punch Pure 2025: 

  • Has basic features such as manual AC, front power windows, central locking and a 4-inch driver’s display. 

  • The Pure (O) variant adds wheel covers, rear power windows and powered outside mirrors.

• Tata Punch Adventure variant: 

  • It has rear AC vents, 3.5-inch infotainment system, 4-speakers and steering-mounted controls.  

  • The Adventure+ variant gets a 7-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a 6-speaker music system. 

  • A sunroof is optional with both models.

• Tata Punch Accomplished+ variant: 

  • This variant adds the new 10.25-inch touchscreen, along with keyless entry, push-button start, cruise control, automatic climate control and also projector headlamps. 

  • A sunroof is optional, and a ‘Camo’ version is available in this variant.

• Tata Punch Creative+ variant: 

  • This Punch top model has 16-inch alloy wheels, wireless charger and leather-wrapped steering wheel among other features. 

  • Here too a sunroof is optional and a ‘Camo’ version is available.

CarDekho Recommends:

• Those on a tight budget can consider the Adventure variants. It gets all the basic features required and also has a touchscreen and rear AC vents.

• Accomplished +  variant feels best value for money overall, with a good balance of functional and convenience features.

• The sunroof variant can be considered at an extra cost in the Accomplished+ and Creative+ models.

The Tata Punch is a great option for people wanting the advantages of comfort, space and ride quality associated with an SUV, but within the size of a hatchback. It offers all the must-have features along with a few feel-good ones, while offering you a solid safety package as well.

Other cars to consider instead of the Tata Punch

Hyundai Exter

Reasons to consider

• Gets six airbags as standard.

• Offers dual dashcam, proper tyre pressure monitoring system and hill hold assist in the higher variants.

• Offers paddle shifters with the automatic transmission.

Reasons to ignore

• Smaller infotainment system with wired phone projection only.

• No crash test rating from any NCAP agency.

• Misses out on front and rear central armrest.

Citroen C3

Reasons to consider

• Better ride comfort over really bad road surfaces.

• Option of a more powerful turbo-petrol engine.

Reasons to ignore

• Misses out on a few-feel good features like a sunroof.

• No CNG option.

• No automatic transmission with the naturally aspirated petrol engine.