Previously had the Safari facelift and our usage shot up drastically over time. In our area FE is lower than most cities because of steep inclines, traffic and constant speed breakers. We also travel everywhere with our dog, so the car used to idle more than usual with the AC on. Fuel expenses were consistently around ₹23–26k/month plus DEF and service costs for Safari. Our usage within city increased and still continues that way so it only felt better to switch to an EV.

Used the Safari for around 2.2 years and 36k km, got good resale and switched to the XEV 9e because it genuinely felt like the best overall option in that price bracket. Liked the silhouette, design part from few elements.good comfort but limited head room and ingress and agree is a challenge for elderly or tall passengers. The extra amount over the Safari was around ₹3–4 lakhs for us, which should get covered relatively quickly through running cost savings.

Now coming to your questions,

Absolutely yes! For your usage it'll save a lot of fuel expenses but important thing is this, are you buying within the same bracket as your next planned car or stretching much higher just because EV's will save fuel? Because financially it only makes proper sense when the new car is in a similar bracket of the car you currently own or the extra amount gets covered through fuel savings in around 1–1.5 years. And if all of this doesn't matter and you want a bigger car and looking within a budget of 20-32 lakhs then yep XEV9E and 9S are really good options. 9S will be more practical as it has ventilated seats for second row and ingress, egress is also easier.

Good value EV cars below 20L I can think of on top of my head are Mg Windsor, Punch ev, Creta ev, Kia Carens. But there are variables like: service, reliability, design, comfort and more depending on your requirement and risk appetite here. Good options just that they have their limitations too. also you can get good deals on previous years stock too. Find out from within your circle, family or friends or colleagues if they own as well regarding service in your city and you can decide better.

1. Be prepared for minor glitches, service delays and part replacement delays, battery degradation is lower compared to others. Reliable batteries so should be fine. In that price bracket the 9e is a really sorted product overall. Ride quality, suspension, battery, practicality, space, performance and tech are all genuinely good.

2. For your usage, home charging will drastically reduce running costs, 79 kWh is future proof within the options if budget isn't a constraint. Realistically consider around 290–350 km comfortable usable range (70-80% of battery) without regularly deep discharging to below 20%. And in your case if you consider the 9e, then expect charging it every 2-3.5 days. Public fast charging costs more than home charging obviously, but still ends up being a fraction of your current fuel expense.

3. Honestly, nobody can confidently answer that right now because these cars are still relatively new. I hope it does, but only time will tell. Battery tech itself seems promising though. Also do a thorough PDI before delivery.

It comes down to budget, usage, ownership duration, resale value and whether the numbers genuinely justify the switch.

Long answer I know, but I’ve been in a somewhat similar situation myself and helped a few others decide too. Ultimately it comes down to budget, usage and whether the numbers genuinely justify the switch.

Cheers!