ICE vs EV Siblings Under Rs 30 Lakh: Real-world Performance Comparison

In recent times, it has become a trend of sorts for carmakers to launch an all-electric iteration of an already existing ICE-model. Not only does it save costs, but also time that would have gone into making a new platform or product from the ground up. But for all the advancements made by EVs, will their performance be enough to beat their ICE-powered iterations in a sprint from 0-100kmph? We strapped our V-boxes in on a few cars this side of Rs 30 lakh and put them to test ourselves. Let’s go:

Citroen eC3 vs C3

With a gap of more than 2 seconds, the gasoline powered Citroen C3 triumphs over its all-electric alternative without dropping a sweat. Now mind you, this was just the naturally aspirated 1-litre petrol powertrain and not the more powerful turbo-petrol powertrain, so the gap between the two is likely to be even wider if compared with the latter.

Tata Nexon EV vs Nexon

Electric power is the clear winner in the Nexon’s case, beating its ICE-powered sibling by more than 2 seconds. The Nexon EV is not only more powerful than the ICE-powered Nexon, but it puts all that extra torque down to the tarmac instantly. Once it gets going, the additional puissance from its electric motor helps it stretch its leg and grab the victory here.

Mahindra XUV400 EV vs XUV300

With 143PS/250Nm on tap, the Mahindra XUV400 leaves the ICE-powered XUV300 in the dust in a sprint from nought to 100kmph. The difference between their tested timings is nearly 4 seconds, which is a lot, considering the XUV300 isn’t too down on power. There’s an even more potent 130PS/230Nm, TGDI version of the petrol powertrain available, but we reckon the XUV400 will be quicker than even that as well.

MG ZS EV vs MG Astor

The closest battle in this list comes down to the MG ZS EV and Astor. Even though the former is up on power and torque, it only wins the race from 0-100kmph by a whisker with just 1.45 seconds to spare compared to its ICE-sibling. 

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So in most recorded instances, it was the electric powertrain that came out on top in the tests and that’s down to two reasons: 1- Most electric powertrains in this list packed more output compared to their ICE alternatives, and 2- EVs deliver all their power and torque instantly, while ICE models have to build up the engine speed and get in their optimum range for full output delivery. As a result, EVs are a clear winner of this specific test.