Automatic transmissions are gaining popularity in India with every passing day. However, five years back, no one in the budget segment (below Rs 10 lakh) thought about buying a car with an automatic gearbox. This was due to the fact that automatic cars in India were very expensive, as compared to their manual counterparts.
However, with the advent of the AMT technology, carmakers are now able to provide the convenience of using an automatic gearbox at a fairly competitive price. As a result, automatic gearboxes are now available even with entry level low price hatchbacks. Since India is a price competitive market, the search for the cheapest automatic car in here is ever so important. There is an ever-increasing set of customers that is looking to buy their first car, but don’t want the hassles of using a manual gearbox. At the same time, these customers want a cheaper price tag for their new automatic car, along with a satisfactory mileage figure in order to comfortably live with it in the longer term.
Since petrol powered cars are continuously overtaking their diesel counterparts, the demand for the cheapest petrol automatic car in India at the moment exceeds that of oil burner diesels. As a result, various car manufacturers have introduced petrol automatic cars in their portfolio. While this helps companies to bring some customers to their kitty, it becomes a difficult task for someone in the market to find the most affordable, cheapest and value for money petrol automatic car in India.
This is why we have compiled a list of top 5 cheapest petrol automatic cars in India that you can buy in 2017. This list particularly lists the petrol automatic cars that are available for purchase in 2017, and hence we have omitted models that have already been discontinued.
1. Tata Nano
Tata Nano is currently the cheapest petrol automatic car in India. It gets an AMT gearbox that is available with two variants – XMA and XTA. It is powered by a 624 cc, two-cylinder petrol engine that churns out 37.5 bhp and 51 Nm of torque.
- Engine: 624 cc, two-cylinder petrol engine
- Power and Torque: 37.5 bhp and 51 Nm
- Gearbox: 5-speed AMT
- Mileage: 21.9 km/l
- Price: XMA – Rs. 3.06 lakh | XTA – Rs. 3.26 lakh
2. Renault Kwid
This French hatchback comes on the second spot in the list of cheapest petrol automatic cars in India. The automatic gearbox on offer is again an AMT unit. However, in the Kwid, it is available only with a rotary dial and not a conventional gear lever. As a result, there is no option to change gears manually with the Kwid AMT.
- Engine: 999 cc, three-cylinder petrol engine
- Power and Torque: 69 bhp and 91 Nm
- Gearbox: 5-speed AMT
- Mileage: 24.04 km/l
- Price: RXL AMT – Rs. 4.00 lakh | RXT(O) AMT – Rs. 4.40 lakh | Climber AMT – Rs. 4.70 lakh
3. Maruti Alto K10
Maruti Suzuki is known for developing affordable value for money cars. The company was also responsible for introducing the highly popular AMT technology in India. However, in the list of the top 5 cheapest petrol automatic cars in India, Maruti Suzuki has a contender only in the third spot. But it isn’t any other car, it’s India ki pahli gaadi – the Maruti Alto K10.
- Engine: 998 cc, three-cylinder petrol engine
- Power and Torque: 67.1 bhp and 90 Nm
- Gearbox: 5-speed AMT
- Mileage: 24.07 km/l
- Price: VXI AGS – Rs. 4.20 lakh | VXI(O) AGS – Rs. 4.30 lakh
4. Maruti Suzuki Celerio
No matter how the Celerio performs in India, it will always be referred to as the car that started the battle for developing the cheapest automatic car in India. It was the first car in India that came with an AMT gearbox. And as they say, everything else is history. Automakers started equipping their budget hatchbacks with the AMT technology to offer customers the joy of owning a hassle free automatic at an affordable price.
- Engine: 998 cc, three-cylinder petrol engine
- Power and Torque: 67.1 bhp and 90 Nm
- Gearbox: 5-speed AMT
- Mileage: 23.1 km/l
- Price: LXI AMT – Rs. 4.52 lakh | LXI (O) AMT – Rs. 4.72 lakh | VXI AMT – Rs. 4.82 lakh | VXI (O) AMT – Rs. 5.02 lakh | ZXI AMT – Rs. 5.12 lakh | ZXI (O) AMT – Rs. 5.25 lakh
5. Maruti Suzuki Wagon R
The Wagon R is Maruti’s Salman Khan! No matter what it does, it will always be a hit. And in order to further expand its reach, the company has added an AMT gearbox in the hatchback, making it an ideal purchase for any city commuter. For us, the Wagon R easily scores high points for being a practical and cheap petrol automatic car in India.
- Engine: 998 cc, three-cylinder petrol engine
- Power and Torque: 67.1 bhp and 90 Nm
- Gearbox: 5-speed AMT
- Mileage: 20.51 km/l
- Price: VXI AMT – Rs. 4.85 lakh | VXI+ AMT – Rs. 5.14 lakh | VXI (O) AMT – Rs. 5.18 lakh | VXI+ (O) AMT – Rs. 5.33 lakh
All prices mentioned above are ex-showroom, Delhi.