2026 Tata Tiago.ev first drive review: Go-kart fun with frugal running costs
- Great ride quality
- Sport mode
- Physical AC controls
- Fixed headrests
- No wireless smartphone charger
- No rear 65W USB Type-C charging port
The 2026 Tata Tiago.ev arrives with sharper styling, a feature-rich cabin, familiar battery options, improved practicality, and engaging driving dynamics, while becoming India's most affordable electric car at ₹6.99 lakh.
Electric vehicles have become a solution ot the global problem of carbon emissions. Driving on electricity and eliminating fossil fuels significantly reduces harmful carbon emissions. However, the high upfront acquisition cost has been a deterrent to the success of electric vehicles in India, along with a lack of infrastructure confining them to urban environments. However, Tata Motors has introduced a facelifted version of its electric hatchback, the Tiago.ev, at an introductory price of ₹6.99 lakh, making it the most affordable EV in India, undercutting the MG Comet EV by more than ₹60,000. Not only that, but the 2026 Tiago.ev looks sharper and is more feature-rich, alongside an improved range figure.
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2026 Tata Tiago.ev Exterior
The exterior of the 2026 Tata Tiago.ev has been extensively revamped, with new slimmer LED headlamps, eyebrow-shaped LED DRLs, a camera on the front bumper, a single-piece front bumper with the closed-off front grille and closed-off airdams, summing up the front fascia of the electric hatchback.
The side profile of the electric hatchback received a few minor updates as well, including grey cladding on wheel arches, 14-inch wheels with wheel covers, Tata.ev badging on the front doors, blacked-out ORVMs with blind spot monitoring cameras, chrome garnish on door handles and a blacked-out roof. The rear, on the other hand, received extensive updates with slimmer LED taillamps along with a faux connected lightbar, new rear bumper, rear wiper, rear washer, rear defogger and a new position of the rear parking camera, among others.
New colours, including Dehradun Dew and Sobo Surge, have been introduced to enhance the appeal of the 2026 Tata Tiago.ev.
2026 Tata Tiago.ev Interior
The interior of the 2026 Tata Tiago.ev remains similar to that of its ICE counterpart. One of the key highlights of the 2026 Tata Tiago.ev is its interior and the host of features it offers. Stepping into the electric hatchback’s cabin is one of the easiest owing to its size, but it makes you feel like a bigger, more premium car on the inside. The Tiago.ev boasts a layered dashboard design with fabric inserts, blue and grey fabric upholstery, fabric inserts on the door panels, i-Toggle power window switches, bolstered under-thigh supports for front and rear seats, a front centre armrest with storage and fixed headrests.
The cabin is well laid out, with the five-inch digital instrument cluster offering perfect visibility of the road, and the brightness of the cluster is well adjusted to the cabin. The readings are sharp and crisp, offering better clarity for drivers. The 10.25-inch floating digital infotainment system is smooth and offers great feedback, along with displaying the feed from the 360-degree camera, while the two-spoke steering wheel has been slightly changed. The steering wheel now gets a monochromatic finish in black, and the illuminated logo on the steering wheel has been replaced by a silver sticker-like Tata.ev badging. In addition, the pairing process is fairly simple to understand and seamless. Additionally, the updated Tiago.ev gets redesigned AC vents, a redesigned HVAC control console, regen braking controls, and dual smartphone decks with two USB Type-C charging ports, among other changes. The rotary knob for selecting drive modes feels great to use, despite a slight delay when shifting and poor daytime illumination.
The experience of the backseat of the 2026 Tata Tiago.ev is fairly similar to its ICE counterpart, with its rear AC vents, a bench seat layout with no 60:40 split, bolstered underthigh support, fixed headrest, magazine holder on front seatbacks, and no pressure sensor in the rear seats, which means the car will beep for a couple of minutes if the rear seatbelts aren’t clipped in.
2026 Tata Tiago.ev Battery Options
The 2026 Tata Tiago.ev gets the same battery pack options as the outgoing model, including a 19-kWh battery pack and a 24-kWh battery pack. The battery packs send power to a permanent magnet synchronous motor placed on the front axle, producing approximately 60 bhp and 110 Nm of torque, and 73.75 bhp and 114 Nm of torque, respectively. Moreover, the Indian automaker is offering a warranty of 8-years or 1.6 lakh km, whichever comes first, on the 19-kWh battery pack and a lifetime warranty on the 24-kWh battery pack.
2026 Tata Tiago.ev Drive Review
We drove the 2026 Tata Tiago.ev in Bengaluru, a city which is famous for its endless traffic congestion alongside its IT sector. However, driving the Tiago.ev in a densely populated city felt like a piece of cake. The electric hatchback is extremely light on its toes and can change direction at the last minute as well. We drove through open roads as well as through city traffic, and the electric hatchback excelled on both. While the car in City mode offers a relaxed driving experience in city mode, wherein the electric hatchback is a little lazy to accelerate, getting you up to city speeds and maintaining them extremely well. However, a quick overtake can be an issue considering the power delivery is linear, and the surge of power needed to make the overtake is just not there. The ride is extremely comfortable, with the suspension setup being perfect for the city’s speed bumps and rough patches of road.
I went over multiple speed bumps and rough patches of road during my drive in Bengaluru, and the Tiago.ev took them in its stride pretty well. I was well-placed in the driver’s seat and not for one moment did I feel that I was being tossed around in the cabin, courtesy of bad patches of road. The car moved extremely well in and out of traffic, with manoeuvrability being its strongest aspect owing to its dimensions.
I drove the car in sports mode as well, and honestly, this mode transforms the 2026 Tiago.ev from an electric hatchback to a go-kart really quickly. As soon as I shifted to Sports mode, the surge of power felt unreal since it came on so quickly and so brutally. It really pins you back to the seat till you let go of the accelerator, while the electric hatchback tops out at 122 kmph. For quick overtakes, I often switched it to sports mode, using the power surge to get ahead. I drove the car for approximately 50 km, both in city mode and sports mode, with an initial reading showing a range of 205 km, and by the time we were done with the drive, it showed a range of approximately 105 km. This includes the car being left on for 45 minutes during the shoot, and at least five 0 to 100 kmph runs in Sports mode, which indicates that the C75 range reading which the company has provided is more or less accurate.
Also Read : 2026 Tata Tiago first drive review: More comfort than its size suggests
2026 Tata Tiago.ev Conclusion
The 2026 Tata Tiago.ev is hands-down the best entry-level electric hatchback I’ve driven. The ride comfort, the manoeuvrability and the ability to switch from a relaxed drive experience to a sporty one make it a perfect everyday car. I can assure you that when you are driving this car, it would be tough to have a dull day, especially when it sports mode. Add to it the price at which it is being sold and the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) program, which has been introduced with this electric hatchback, makes it even more affordable at ₹4.69 lakh with ₹2.6 per km battery rental. The price of the Tiago.ev with BaaS takes it to the same price point as the ICE base variant, eliminating higher upfront acquisition costs. If I were to buy a small hatchback to get away from the rising petrol prices, the 2026 Tata Tiago.ev would be extremely high up on my list.
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