In the world of cars, when you’re ready to spend around Rs 20 lakh, there are lots of fancy SUVs to choose from. However, there aren’t as many good sedan options available. Even if you increase your budget to Rs 30 lakh, you won’t find many new sedan choices. But don’t underestimate sedans – they have their own strengths like comfort, big trunks, good driving, and classy looks.
Let’s talk about five premium sedans that cost less than Rs 20 lakh, which you can pick instead of an SUV:
Honda City
| Price | Rs 11.57 lakh to Rs 16.05 lakh | Rs 18.89 lakh to Rs 20.39 lakh |
| Engine | 1.5-litre petrol | 1.5-litre strong-hybrid |
| Power/Torque | 121PS / 145Nm | 126PS / 253Nm |
| Transmissions | 6-speed MT / CVT | e-CVT |
| Feature Highlights | 8-inch touchscreen system, 7-inch digital driver’s display, wireless phone charger, electric sunroof, ambient lighting | |
| Safety Feature Highlights | Up to six airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, TPMS, rear camera, lane watch camera, ADAS | |
The Honda City is a well-known and trustworthy sedan. It’s now in its fifth generation, and it’s still famous for having a good interior and being comfortable. It’s even available with a special hybrid engine that’s super efficient – it can go very far on less fuel. The hybrid version is a bit more expensive, but it will save you money in the long run because it uses less fuel. Surprisingly, even the lower version of the City has some advanced safety features, making it a good deal.
Volkswagen Virtus
| Price | Rs 11.48 lakh to Rs 18.77 lakh | |
| Engine | 1-litre turbo-petrol | 1.5-litre turbo-petrol |
| Power/Torque | 115PS / 178Nm | 150PS / 250Nm |
| Transmissions | 6-speed MT / 6-speed AT | 6-speed MT / 7-speed DCT |
| Feature Highlights | 10-inch touchscreen system, 8-inch digital driver’s display, electric sunroof, ventilated front seats, wireless charger | |
| Safety Feature Highlights | Up to six airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, TPMS, rear camera | |
The Volkswagen Virtus is like a fancy version of the Vento. It looks classy and sporty, and it’s a lot of fun to drive. It also feels very luxurious inside, like you’d expect from a German car. It’s safe too, with high scores in crash tests. However, it doesn’t have some of the advanced safety features that other sedans like the Honda City have.
Skoda Slavia
| Price | Rs 11.39 lakh to Rs 18.68 lakh | |
| Engine | 1-litre turbo-petrol | 1.5-litre turbo-petrol |
| Power/Torque | 115PS / 178Nm | 150PS / 250Nm |
| Transmissions | 6-speed MT / 6-speed AT | 6-speed MT / 7-speed DCT |
| Feature Highlights | 10-inch touchscreen system, 8-inch digital driver’s display, electric sunroof, ventilated front seats, wireless charger | |
| Safety Feature Highlights | Up to six airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, TPMS, rear camera | |
The Skoda Slavia is a bit bigger and fancier than the Rapid. It feels very premium, almost like the bigger Octavia. It’s also very safe, getting top scores in safety tests. But like the Virtus, it doesn’t have some of the fancy safety features of the Honda City.
Hyundai Verna
| Price | Rs 10.96 lakh to Rs 17.38 lakh | |
| Engine | 1.5-litre petrol | 1.5-litre turbo-petrol |
| Power/Torque | 115PS / 144Nm | 160PS / 253Nm |
| Transmissions | 6-speed MT / CVT | 6-speed MT / 7-speed DCT |
| Feature Highlights | Dual 10.25-inch screens for touchscreen system and instrument cluster, 64-colour ambient lighting, electric sunroof, ventilated and heated front seats, wireless charger | |
| Safety Feature Highlights | Six airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, TPMS, ADAS, rear camera | |
The Hyundai Verna is a bit cheaper than the German sedans, but it has lots of features. It even has a turbo-petrol engine that makes it very powerful for its class. It’s also really safe and has some of the fancy safety features that the Honda City has.
Maruti Ciaz
| Price | Rs 9.30 lakh to Rs 12.29 lakh |
| Engine | 1.5-litre petrol |
| Power/Torque | 105PS / 138Nm |
| Transmissions | 5-speed MT / 4-speed AT |
| Feature Highlights | 7-inch touchscreen system, automatic LED headlights, automatic AC, push button start, cruise control |
| Safety Feature Highlights | Dual front airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, rear camera, ESP, hill hold assist |
The Maruti Ciaz is the most affordable sedan on this list. It’s not as fancy as the others, but it’s comfortable. It has a decent engine that’s not super powerful, but it’s good on fuel. It’s a bit smaller than the rest, but it still has a nice interior. However, it doesn’t have all the fancy features and safety stuff that the others do.
In the past, there used to be more sedans to choose from, like the Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra, Skoda Octavia, and Honda Civic. But now, only one of them is coming back – the Octavia. Nowadays, the smaller sedans are getting better and becoming almost as good as the bigger ones. They’re getting better at safety, features, and being luxurious. So, even though there are fewer choices, these compact sedans are doing a good job of taking their place.
