Tata Punch EV long term review - three months in the urban jungle
Saying goodbye to the Punch.ev after a fantastic three months feels truly difficult. The Tata Punch.ev has transformed my daily commute and weekend escapades over the past three months. It's been a fascinating journey showcasing the tangible benefits of switching to electric.
My daily grind involves a 20 km round trip to work and the Punch.ev has consistently delivered an impressive average efficiency of 126 Wh/km. This translates to a mere 2.52 kWh consumed per day, highlighting the car's remarkable energy conservation. Overall, my Punch.ev boasts an efficiency of 7.94 km/kWh, a figure that truly stands out when compared to even its petrol counterparts.
Now I am truly blessed to have a stilt parking in a city like Mumbai which has allowed me to install a 7.2 kW AC wall box fast charger for any EV that comes my way. As per the latest tariffs (effective April 1, 2025), my electricity provider offers an EV-specific tariff. Assuming a Low Tension (LT) EV tariff of ?8.08/unit for FY 2025-26, my daily charging cost for the 2.52 kWh consumed is ?20.36 per day & ?447.92 per month. This is a significant saving compared to fuel costs for a petrol car, which would have me shell out approximately ?2,564 per month for a full tank.
While the Punch.ev shines in city traffic, I've also put it through its paces on the Mumbai-Pune highway. A recent trip saw me charge the car at Charge Zone in Pune, adding 61% charge to the battery. This translated to an impressive 147 km of additional driving range. The DC fast charging session took a mere 66 minutes, consumed 13 kWh of charge capacity, and cost me ?353.34. While I am eagerly waiting for Tata's seamless wallet payment to trickle to all of their EVs, I have to highlight intercity EV travel has become far less stressful with plenty of public fast-chargers around.
To truly appreciate the Punch.ev's efficiency, let's draw parallels with some of the most fuel-efficient petrol hatchbacks in a similar price bracket which would be between ?9.99 Lakh - ?14.44 Lakh, ex-showroom, Mumbai.
Considering petrol crossovers like the Maruti Suzuki Fronx (20 kmpl) or petrol Tata Punch (around 18.8 kmpl AMT variant), let's calculate their approximate daily fuel cost for a 20 km commute.
Assuming current petrol prices in Mumbai (around ?105 per litre, subject to daily fluctuations):
Maruti Suzuki Fronx with 20 kmpl efficiency:
- Daily fuel consumption: 20 km/20 kmpl = 1 litre
- Daily cost: 1 litre×?105/litre = ?105
- Monthly cost (22 working days): ?105×22 days = ?2,310
