Tata Tiago EV First Drive Review: People’s Champion

EV adoption in the automotive industry is an electrifying topic, but this revolution has somewhat been hamstrung in the four-wheeler segment due to the serious lack of affordable EVs. Where other manufacturers have failed, Tata Motors has tasted unprecedented success with the Tigor EV, the Nexon EV and now the Tiago EV is expected to pick up the baton

With emission norms making internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles more expensive each passing year, Tata Motors is betting big on electric vehicles and aiming to reduce the costs. The 2022 Tiago EV is undoubtedly India’s most affordable EV priced below Rs 10 lakh, but we review and find out whether there’s more to it than just being easy on the pocket.

Tata Tiago EV Review: What is it?

Undoubtedly, the biggest change is what lies beneath the hood. Being available in both petrol and CNG, Tata Motors has decided to up the ante by introducing the Tiago EV. With an electric option, the new EV hatchback is available in two battery pack options — the 19.2 kWh and 24kWh. The battery and the motor get IP67 ratings for water and dustproof and have a warranty of 8 years or 1.6 lakh kilometres.

The entry-level variants will be powered by a smaller battery which has an output of 60bhp and 110Nm of torque. As per MIDC (Modified Indian Driving Cycle), it offers a range of 250 km and according to Tata Motors, the mid-range Tiago EV trim does 0-60 kmph in 6.2 seconds. On the other hand, the more powerful Tiago EV churns out 74bhp and 114Nm and does 0-60 kph in 5.7 seconds. Based on the MIDC report, the EV hatchback returns a range of 315 km.

Range anxiety is the biggest challenge for an EV customer and to smoothen out this issue, the Tiago EV offers multiple charging options including the regular home 15A plug point. Both the regular home plug and the wall box take a charging time from 10% to 100% in 6.9 hours for the 19.2 kWh and 8.7 hours for the 24kwh. The 7.2 kW AC charger juices up the smaller and the bigger batteries at 2.6 hours and 3.6 hours respectively. The DC fast charger chargers both batteries within 58 minutes from 10% to 100%.a

We drove the 24kWh variant of the Tiago EV and straightway you’ll notice the EV picks up pace in a linear fashion. Unlike other electric vehicles that have an unadulterated sharp power response, which can catch off guard ICE vehicle owners, the Tiago EV offers a natural transition ensuring the person behind the wheel is beaming with confidence. It is available in two driving modes — City and Sport.

The Tata EV on City mode has more than enough juice to overtake on highways, climb an incline without huffing and puffing and of course cruise comfortably in a three-digit figure apart from tackling your daily commute needs. The Sport, on the other hand, gives the Tiago EV a shot in the arm. The EV hatchback shows some real spunk as it takes off from the word go. As involved and fun as it is to drive in the Sport mode, we did notice that the Tiago EV’s range starts to dip by roughly 10 km as compared to the City mode.

The Tiago EV also comes with three levels of regenerative braking. The first level is the mildest and hardly offers much stoppage power, but the second mode is ideal for your daily city driving and automatically applies adequate brakes when needed. The third is the most effective and is more like an additional safety feature, especially for new drivers.

With peppy power comes the Tiago EV’s USP strength, and its exceptional ride quality. Tata vehicles are known to provide a magic carpet-like ride comfort and the Tiago EV is no different. As a matter of fact, the hatch remains unperturbed on broken roads riddled with potholes. It’s safe to say the Tiago EV offers the best ride quality in its segment. Apart from offering a plush ride quality, which will be appreciated by rear passengers, the Tiago EV holds its own in the handling department. It doesn’t stray off course while taking turns as the chassis remains rooted to the tarmac. The steering wheel is on the lighter side and makes it easy to weave through slow-moving traffic.

Tata Tiago EV Review: Features

The Tiago EV is the first in its class to offer connected tech with 45 features via the ZConnect app. According to Tata Motors, this is not just a feature for convenience like switching on the AC before stepping into the cabin rather with analytics, it tells the customer how to get the most out of the Tiago EV when it comes to range and efficiency. This technology lets the EV owner know what the vehicle is capable of and get accustomed to it. The Tata Tiago EV comes standard with fully automatic temperature control and offers steering-mounted controls including cruise control, a cooled glove box, a rear wiper with demister, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights. The EV also sports a 7-inch infotainment display that is paired with both Android Auto and Apple Carplay along with an 8-speaker Haman music system.
Tata Tiago EV rear

Tata Tiago EV Review: Price and verdict

The Tiago EV’s price is revolutionary as it starts from Rs 8.49 lakh while the long-range trim begins from Rs 10.79 lakh and goes all the way to Rs 11.79 lakh, ex-showroom. At the moment, there is no other EV that’s available below Rs 10 lakh. Let’s also not forget that it is based on the 4-star rated Global NCAP-rated Tiago platform, which makes it one of the safest hatchbacks in the country.

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