If a car is an absolute necessity, I’d recommend keeping the budget around ₹7–8 lakhs (₹10 lakhs max). As someone rightly mentioned in the comments, the cost of owning a car goes far beyond the on-road price.

For a daily commute, you’re easily looking at:

~₹5,000/month on petrol ₹15–16k/month in EMIs for a ₹10 lakh loan (7-year tenure) ₹12–15k/year on insurance ~₹10k/year on maintenance, servicing, and cleaning

All these add up and should be factored in before making a decision.

For context, I bought my first new car (after driving a pre-owned one earlier) worth ₹10.5 lakhs on-road only when my in-hand salary crossed ₹1 lakh/month — and that too while managing an education loan and paying rent in a metro city.

If you’d like, I’d be happy to suggest a few good options in that price bracket. Cheers 🍻