With more than 50,000 units sold already, the Tiago.ev is clearly one of the more popular EVs in India. It was launched in 2022 and has since then been the go-to choice for those after affordable all-electric motoring. We revisit the car to see if it makes any sense in the modern EV market where brands, including Tata Motors, have made massive progress in terms of range, usability and overall modernity.

It’s hard to believe, but the Tiago’s styling dates back to 2016 when the ICE version was launched. Despite that the Tiago.ev doesn’t look old or boring. Tata did make some changes to freshen up the styling and for the EV, some to help it stand out. The use of blue accents, for instance, ensured that no one mistook the EV for a petrol/diesel-engined version. The 14-inch wheels are made to look like alloy wheels (they aren’t), the new centrally placed ‘Tiago.ev’ badge at the rear is also a clear differentiating factor, while at the front, the conventional grille is replaced by a black panel.

The Tiago.ev’s interior might belong to a value-focussed car, but it is not shoddily built. It gets a rotary drive selector, blue accents, and a nice leatherette upholstery. There’s also a 7-inch touchscreen system (with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), automatic AC, cruise control, steering-mounted controls, an eight-speaker Harman sound system, and even a height-adjustable driving seat. Some of these are variant-dependent, but the Tiago.ev doesn’t take the back seat in terms of equipment.

Its front seats are supportive, while the space at the rear is as good as in the conventional Tiago. Despite the battery pack underneath, Tata Motors has managed to keep the floor height identical to that of the regular Tiago, ensuring that EV customers don’t face any space or comfort constraints. The boot space at 240 litres is nearly identical to the standard Tiago and while leatherette upholstery is nice, we’d have liked adjustable headrests too.

Fun to drive

The single-motor setup generates 74 bhp and 11.63 kg-m, which makes the Tiago.ev genuinely fun to drive, especially in the ‘S’ mode. It hits 60 km/h in just 5.7 seconds, ensuring that on intra-city runs, it never runs out of steam. The fact that it’s built on a four-star-rated platform and that the additional 150 kg of battery weight has been managed very effectively further work in its favour. The presence of three regenerative braking modes gives drivers an extra degree of control, especially when they want to maximise efficiency or effectively indulge in single-pedal driving.

On a DC fast charger, the Tiago.ev’s SoC can go from 10 to 80 per cent in just 57 minutes, while on a 7.2 kW home charger (AC), users can charge the battery fully in 3.5 hours. In terms of range, we managed to clock about 180 km in a variety of urban traffic conditions and the Tiago.ev still had 30 per cent juice left in its battery. No Tata car rides horribly, but the Tiago.ev is just excellent, despite its relatively small footprint. Its overall stability isn’t bad, and even around corners, it inspires confidence.

The top-spec variant of the Tiago.ev is priced at ₹11.49 lakh, ex-showroom, which is about ₹3 lakh more expensive than the conventionally powered version. For that additional money, you don’t just get a greener car but also a distinctly fun one. It’s also cheaper to run and maintain, but more than anything, it’s a statement that affordability doesn’t always come at the cost of quality.