Top 10 fuel efficient diesel cars in India

A little while ago, we revealed the top 10 most fuel efficient petrol cars in India by taking into account the real-world mileage of each car achieved in Autocar India’s road tests. This data is collected by driving the car in actual urban and highway conditions in and around a typical Indian metro city. This means traffic, poorly paved roads and pollution, just like you might encounter in your car.

 

Now we have compiled a list of the top 10 most fuel efficient diesel cars in India, and no surprises here, it’s comprised entirely of hatchbacks and compact sedans. This has a lot to do with these cars’ relatively light kerb weights and smaller diesel engines, compared to larger sedans and SUVs.

 

Just for comparison, alongside our figures, we’ve also included each car’s manufacturer-claimed fuel-efficiency figure (as per ARAI testing conditions). These figures represent the fuel consumption a car could possibly achieve in perfect conditions, but they are calculated in a laboratory, and so don’t reflect the conditions that our cars really endure on Indian roads.

Finally, we’ve also included a running cost figure to see how much you’d spend on fuel each month. This is calculated based on the assumption that the vehicle is being driven for 1,000km a month, 50 percent of which is on city roads and 50 percent on highways, and that the cost per litre of diesel is Rs 65 (the current price in Mumbai, Maharashtra). This is also calculated using our real-world test figures, and not the ARAI rating.

 

So, are you the type of car owner for which fuel-efficiency is paramount? And if so, is your car on this list?

 

1. HYUNDAI XCENT

Autocar India City mileage: 16.2kpl
Autocar India Highway mileage: 20.3kpl
ARAI rating: 24.4kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3561
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.56-7.41 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)
The Xcent marked Hyundai’s foray into the popular compact sedan segment, up against the Honda Amaze and Maruti Dzire. Interestingly, while its 24.4kpl ARAI-rated figure is not nearly the highest on this list, our road test crowned it the king of the diesel roost. It managed 16.2kpl in the city – the highest figure here – and 20.3kpl on the highway, which is a touch shy of the Honda Amaze’s 20.8kpl. You can put that down to the Xcent’s smaller, 71bhp, 1120cc, three-cylinder, CRDi engine, which needs to be worked a little bit more out on the highway. 

2. HONDA AMAZE

Autocar India city mileage: 15.2kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 20.8kpl
ARAI rating: 25.8kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3611
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.97-7.54 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

The Amaze was Honda’s first car in India to be powered by a diesel engine. The made-for-India diesel motor, with an ARAI-rated fuel efficiency of 25.8kpl, gave Honda the bragging rights to India’s most fuel efficient diesel car, surpassed only by its sibling, the City i-DTEC, whose ARAI rating is 26kpl. During testing, the Amaze diesel’s 15.2kpl in the city and 20.8kpl on the highway (still the best here), made it the most efficient diesel car we’d tested, until the Xcent came along. Not bad for a relatively large, 1498cc, four-cylinder engine that makes 98.6bhp and 20.3kgm of torque. 

3. CHEVROLET BEAT

 

Autocar India city mileage: 16kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 19.1kpl
ARAI rating: 25.44kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3703
Price (diesel range): Rs 4.77-5.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

Considering this is the most compact car here with the smallest-capacity engine, some might think that the Beat diesel should be at the top of the list. Its ARAI rating of 25.44kpl is second only to the Amaze’s and in our city tests, its 16kpl is second only to the Xcent. However, out on the highway, the small 936cc displacement lets it down, needing to be worked hard to really get the best of it. Which is why its 19.1kpl highway rating lets down its overall FE performance.

4. HYUNDAI GRAND i10   

Autocar India city mileage: 15.4kpl 
Autocar India highway mileage: 19.6kpl
ARAI rating: 24kpl
Monthly running costs: Rs 3714
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.21-6.38 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Hyundai made some modifications to the 1.1-litre, three-cylinder diesel engine for the Xcent, and so its ARAI rating of 24.4kpl is better than the Grand i10’s 24kpl. In our tests, this difference is even more pronounced, with the hatchback’s 15.4kpl and 19.6kpl city and highway figures being some way behind the Xcent’s numbers. Although it must be noted that the Grand i10’s less aerodynamically efficient shape will have had some role to play here.

5. TATA INDIGO eCS

Autocar India city mileage: 15.3kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 19.6kpl
ARAI rating: 25kpl
Monthly running costs: Rs 3724
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.38-5.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The pioneer of the compact sedan segment, the Indigo eCS was always billed as a very fuel-efficient car, with a 25kpl ARAI rating that was for its time, pretty much as good as it could get. It’s getting on a bit now, but even so, our tested 15.3kpl in the city and 19.6kpl on the highway, are pretty impressive. The Indigo eCS is powered by the same 1396cc, four-cylinder diesel engine as the Indica that’s next on this list, and produces an identical 69bhp and 14.2kgm of torque. 

6. TATA INDICA

Autocar India city mileage: 15.3kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 19.3kpl
ARAI rating: 25kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3757
Price (diesel range): Rs 4.39-4.80 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Since its launch, the Tata Indica endeared itself to owners and fleet operators with its stellar fuel efficiency. While the Indica has an ARAI rated fuel efficiency of 25kpl, we achieved 15.3kpl while driving in the city and 19.3kpl on the highway (the only area where it falls slightly short of its compact sedan sibling, the Indigo). For such an old design, it really does deliver as a no-nonsense, practical hatchback, and the fact that it’s the cheapest car on this list only reinforces that notion.

7. MARUTI-SUZUKI SWIFT DZIRE

Autocar India city mileage: 14.6kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 19.8kpl
ARAI rating: 23.4kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3779
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.78-7.32 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

By far one of the most popular cars in the country, the Swift Dzire consistently outsells even its hatchback counterpart, month after month. A big reason for that is Maruti’s great reputation for reliability and good service, but an ARAI rating of 23.4kpl helps too. While driving in the city, our testers extracted 14.6kpl from the Dzire’s 74bhp, 1.3-litre engine. On the highway, it stretched that to 19.8kpl, which though not as good as the Xcent and the Amaze, is by no means terrible. 

8. NISSAN MICRA

Autocar India city mileage: 14.6kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 19.5kpl
ARAI rating: 23.08kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3812
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.78-7.03 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The Micra’s inclusion on this list should give you some idea about just how under-rated and overlooked it is in India. It’s a hugely capable, practical and spacious hatchback that’s become even more desirable after its recent facelift. In our tests, it matched the Maruti Swift with 14.6kpl in the city and 19.5kpl on the highway. However, its ARAI rating is a little higher than the Maruti’s – 23.08kpl as opposed to 22.9. Put it down to the Micra’s flexible and frugal 63bhp, 1.5-litre diesel – closely related to the one in the Renault Duster SUV. 

9. MARUTI-SUZUKI SWIFT

Autocar India city mileage: 14.6kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 19.5kpl
ARAI rating: 22.9kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3812
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.45-6.70 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The diesel Maruti Swift has achieved immense popularity among buyers owing to its fuel efficient and reliable diesel engine (oddly enough, sourced from Fiat). The Swift diesel claims an ARAI rated fuel efficiency of 22.9kpl.  During our fuel efficiency runs, it matched its booted sibling, the Dzire, with 14.6kpl in the city, although on the highway it didn’t fare as well, with 19.5kpl. However, these minor differences in fuel efficiency don’t seem to have hurt the Swift’s reputation as a premium, fun-to-drive and reliable hatchback.

10. MARUTI-SUZUKI RITZ

 

Autocar India city mileage: 14.6kpl
Autocar India highway mileage: 19.3kpl
ARAI rating: 23.2kpl
Running cost per month: Rs 3834
Price (diesel range): Rs 5.27-6.15 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

It’s not too surprising that after the Dzire and the Swift, comes the Maruti Ritz. It is based on the same basic platform and uses the same engine and gearbox, although it is a bit taller and ‘block-like’ in shape. Still, it managed to score higher than the Swift in the ARAI test with 23.2kpl, and it’s only a fraction behind it in the Autocar Road Test rating. It managed 14.6kpl in the city and 19.3kpl on the highway, putting it in a very close tenth place on this list of frugal diesel cars.