Complete Buying Guide: Tata Punch

Did you know the Tata Punch was the best-selling car of 2024 with annual sales of nearly 2.02 lakh? This sales milestone broke Maruti Suzuki’s 40-year streak at the top spot, with both the ICE and EV versions of the Punch doing well. Additionally, the Tata Punch has sold over 5 lakh units, which are radical figures considering it has been in the market for just 4 years. When launched in October 2021, the Tata Punch immediately connected with the masses because it strongly appealed as an affordable alternative to segment-leaders like Tata Nexon and Maruti Brezza. It created an all-new segment of micro-SUVs, which became a trailblazer for the Hyundai Exter and Maruti Fronx. However, after the launch of its rivals, the Indian carmaker has made the Tata Punch package even more appealing by adding some more premium features. If you are interested in buying a Tata Punch, here is a complete buying guide to the Tata Punch, which educates you about its advantages, limitations, and the best variant for your use case.

Tata Punch Specifications

Tata Punch Variants & Prices

There are four main variants of the Tata Punch: Pure, Adventure, Accomplished Plus, and Creative Plus. Except for the top Creative Plus variant, all variants are also offered in CNG-powered models. Moreover, except for the base Pure variant which is available with only a manual transmission, all variants are available with either a manual transmission or an AMT. In terms of colour schemes, the Tata Punch is available in Orcus White, Daytona Grey, Tropical Mist, Calypso Red, Meteor Bronze, and Tornado Blue. There is also a Camo edition, which features Seaweed Green paint exterior shade and Camo-themed seat upholstery and is available with only mid-spec Accomplished Plus and top-spec Creative Plus variants. Here is the list of Tata Punch variants against their ex-showroom prices.

Best Tata Punch Variant to Buy

The base Pure variant of the Tata Punch offers basic features such as internally adjustable outside mirrors, tilt adjustment for the steering wheel, 15-inch steel wheel, manual central locking, manual AC with digital controls, engine start/stop, speed-sensing auto door lock, and more. For its price tag, the Pure variant offers a good value overall and the best value as compared to other variants of the Tata Punch. You can buy this variant and have the desired features installed aftermarket.

The next variant, Pure (O), adds rear power windows, remote central locking, electrically adjustable wing mirrors, wheel covers, and a front USB port. This variant does not justify the price increment over the Pure variant and if you choose to have these additional features installed aftermarket, it would cost you significantly less than the price difference between Pure and Pure (O).

Next up is the Adventure variant, which adds a music system with 4 speakers, day/night inside mirror, follow-me headlamps, rear AC vents, driver seat height adjustment, steering mounted controls, rear parcel tray, and more. With these additional features, the Adventure variant offers a decent value for its asking price.

The next variant, Adventure Rhythm adds a 7-inch infotainment screen, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, two tweeters, and a rear camera. Like the Adventure variant, which it is based on, the Adventure Rhythm variant brings a decent value for its asking price.

The next variant, Adventure S is also based on the Adventure variant and to the features of the Adventure variant, adds an electric sunroof, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, roof rails, shark fin antenna, and rear A-type USB. Considering the features it adds, the Adventure S variant gives you good value for its price tag and is a worthy option if you want an affordable SUV with a sunroof. However, with the Adventure S variant, you will miss the 7-inch infotainment screen, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, two tweeters, and a rear camera.

To the features of the Adventure S variant, the next variant, Adventure Plus S, adds a 7-inch infotainment screen, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, two tweeters, a rear camera, rear wiper and washer, push button start/stop, Front A and Fast C type USB. Considering the features it adds and its price, the Adventure Plus S variant offers a decent value.

To the features of the Adventure variant, the next variant, Accomplished Plus adds a 10.25-inch infotainment system, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, two tweeters, rear camera, rear defogger, fog lamps, rear wiper and washer, projector headlamps, cruise control, automatic AC, cooled glove box, LED DRLs, LED tail lamps, and more. The is the most recommended variant of the Tata Punch for the number of premium features it brings concerning its price tag.

To the features of the Accomplished Plus variant, the next variant, Accomplished Plus S adds an electric sunroof, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, and roof rails. Like the Accomplished Plus variant, the Accomplished Plus S variant offers great value and is a good option for those who don’t want to compromise a sunroof.

Next is the top variant, Creative Plus. To the features of the Accomplished Plus variant, the Creative Plus variant adds a wireless charger, 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, auto folding ORVMs, tyre pressure monitoring system, roof rails, automatic headlamps, rain sensing wipers, puddle lamps, rear seat armrest, and more. From a value standpoint, this variant is worth considering if you want many good-to-have features like alloy wheels and a wireless charger.

The Creative Plus S variant adds an electric sunroof to the features of the Creative Plus variant. If a sunroof is a top priority for you, you should upgrade to this variant.

Tata Punch Warranty and Service Cost

The Tata Punch comes with a standard warranty of 3 years/100,000 km. This warranty period can be extended up to 5 years at some additional cost. As far as service cost is concerned, the first and second services are done free of cost and post that the service charges are around Rs 4,346.5 at 1 year/ 15,000 km, Rs 4,346.5 at 2 years/30,000 km, Rs 5,794.5 at 3 year/45,000 km, Rs 4,346.5 at 4 year/60,000 km, and Rs 4,727.5 at 5 year/75,000 km.

Why you should consider the Tata Punch

Any car that sells as well as the Tata Punch is expected to have many compelling qualities. Here are some of the most attractive traits of the Tata Punch, which make you choose it over others.

Macho Road Presence

When it comes to the Tata Punch, one of the most compelling traits that do not get highlighted enough, is its macho road presence. Even though the Indian compact SUV is smaller than most sub-4-meter compact SUVs, when seen on the roads, the muscular face of the Tata Punch makes it appeal as a Bonafide SUV and look sturdier than its rivals Maruti Fronx, Hyundai Exter, and Toyota Taisor. This is largely because of the rather upright bonnet, which is raised on the sides and has a concave curve in the middle. Like the earlier models of the Tata Harrier and Tata Safari, the Tata Punch gets a split headlamp setup with the LED Daytime Running Lamps above and projector headlamp cluster below. 

However, after its first facelift, Tata Punch is expected to get full-width LED like the Tata Nexon, Tata Harrier, and Tata Safari. Adding a butch touch at the front is a gloss black closed-off grille with a tri-arrow-shaped opening for the horn behind, a blacked-out front bumper, and a large air-dam sporting tri-arrow design element. On the side, the macho appeal continues thanks to the thick black cladding at the bottom, black pillars, and squared-out wheel arches. All the same, the rear’s design looks a bit tame in comparison to the aggressive front, but there are some attractive elements such as the chic circular tail-lamps with ‘Y-shaped’ tri-arrow LED elements, and blacked-out chunky rear bumper.

Excellent Passenger Safety

While passenger safety is one of the key aspects of any vehicle, it has become a strong selling value in recent years. Soon after its launch in 2021, the Tata Punch took the recognition of one of the safest cars in India when it passed the Global NCAP safety test, scoring a 5-star rating for adult safety and a 4-star rating for child safety. These ratings indicate how strong is the body of the Tata Punch and how well it can protect you in case of an unfortunate accident. In addition to a strong body, the Tata Punch offers many safety features such as 2 airbags, ABS with EBD, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), reversing camera with guidelines, ISOFIX child seat mounts, and more.

Big SUV feel in a small package

While introducing it in 2021, Tata described the Tata Punch as a car with ‘the agility of a hatchback and the DNA of an SUV.’ This becomes evident from its macho attire itself, however, when you step inside the Indian compact SUV, you understand what Tata really meant by ‘DNA of an SUV.’ The premium experience starts right from climbing in because the 90-degree opening doors offer easy ingress and egress. Then the layered dashboard with rectangular AC vents looks upmarket, while the other interiors exude a premium vibe. Meanwhile, the overall higher seating offers an authoritarian experience.

Tata has nicely optimised the compact dimensions of the Tata Punch. There is good headroom and knee room in the rear seat and as far as overall spaciousness is concerned, the Tata Punch is easily comparable with the pricier Kia Sonet. Moreover, the Punch offers adjustable rear head restraints as well as a centre armrest, adding extra comfort for rear passengers. The other thing that adds to the comfort is the flat floor if the rear seat is required for three passengers, although it will be a tight squeeze. Meanwhile, with a pliant suspension setup, the Tata Punch delivers segment-best ride comfort.

Feature wealth is also where the Tata Punch is second to none. It packs the best-in-segment Harman sound system, an electric sunroof, and all other upmarket perks expected of its price tag such as a cooled glove box, a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, automatic climate control with rear AC vents, projector headlamps, and more.

Premium interior, long list of features, and especially the high-set seating make the Tata Punch replicate the cabin atmosphere of a full-size SUV.

Why you should not consider the Tata Punch

Like every product in the world, the Tata Punch has certain limitations which may or may not be deal breakers for you. Here are some of the reasons you might not want to consider the Tata Punch as your next car.

Better Engine on Rivals

The Tata Punch is powered by a 1.2-litre Revotron engine. It is a three-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine, which also powers the Tata Altroz, Tata Tigor, and Tata Tiago. While this engine does a decent job, there are better engines available in the Maruti and Hyundai rivals of these cars. In the case of Tata Punch, the Maruti Fronx and Hyundai Exter offer more refined and powerful engines, while in comparison, the Punch’s engine is slightly noisier and induces more vibration.

Missing some features

There aren’t many features that the Tata Punch misses given Tata has given sincere focus on making it deliver a premium experience. However, the Tata Punch misses the convenience of a 60:40 split for the rear seat. Moreover, none of the Tata Punch variants offer more than two airbags, while the Hyundai Exter offers six airbags as standard and the Maruti Fronx offers six airbags in higher variants. While the Tata Punch is already an exceptionally safe car due to its strong body, offering six airbags is gradually becoming a norm and a car of its stature is expected to meet such norms.

Summary

For the peaks of glory the Tata Punch has achieved, someone’s desire to own it cannot be speculative. However, it always pays to familiarise yourself with the ins and outs of a car before making a final decision to buy it. In this buying guide, we explain the specifications of the Tata Punch along with its pros, cons, and the best variant for your requirements. As far as advantages are concerned, the Tata Punch is a strong compact-SUV and is one of the safest cars in India. Moreover, it offers a full-size SUV-like experience on the inside with segment-best ride quality. While it misses the 60:40 rear seat split and six airbags and has a rather ordinary engine, these are some manageable limitations. Meanwhile, for the kind of sales the Tata Punch has done in a rather short career, it doesn’t seem like its limitations have bothered many Punch-owners.

FAQs