2026 Tata Punch EV review: Is this the smartest small electric SUV? | Overdrive | CNBC TV18

Yeah. On OverDrive this week, the 2026 startup on TV returns sharper and smarter with new LF battery options, improved range and aggressive pricing. Plus, we explore the thunderous Range Rover Sport SV Edition 2A Twin Turbo V8 performance SUV in an increasingly electric world. Hello and welcome to OverDrive. I am Sony Dutt. The 2026 Startup Panch EV has been given an update and it now comes with slight design tweaks. It comes with modern tech. It also comes with new powertrain options. It retains its cabin layout. Let's find out more about it. It's become smarter than before. As far as the slips go, the Tata Punch EV is quite interesting because when you first look at it, it doesn't seem like a lot has changed. But when you start reading the spec sheet, you realize that Tata Motors have done a lot of work underneath the skin. So let's see what you actually get with. That said, there are. A few small changes on the outside that are meant to give the Panch Evie a more modern look. You have a cleaner face with a more condensed grill, and the housings for the lighting have become more compact too. The full width. Light signature has been done away with. Quite unusually, the plastic trim is now a light grey. Shade that gives. The panch Evie a bit more mass and adds to the contemporary look. Now the Dr. unit becoming so much more compact, Yes, you do get a slightly larger front, but to be honest, you'll still only be able to fit the portable charging cable that comes here. But when you look underneath, you realize that there's still a lot of space that Tata Motors has left sort of empty. Now it does help with the safety and reducing a lot of complex high voltage wiring and so on, but I do think that there could have been a slightly bigger front for the punchy V now. Too much has not been done to the side, so you have a slightly different look to the alloy wheels and the bright new shades go with the younger sense of the car now. Despite a larger battery pack, there's still a proper SUV like ground clearance of 195 MMM and 4:50 MMM of water weighing capacity. Now, the Tata Punch EV has 366 litres of boot space. While that is good and I'll show you how it works, you have to know that there is no spare wheel. You have the charger here and a tire puncture kit, so that is something you're going to have to be quite careful of. I hope Tata Motors provides that as an option and there's also no 6040 splits. So you will have to fold the whole thing down. But otherwise, yes its you have to lift it a little bit higher considering the lip is slightly high, but I have to say that the space itself is fairly generous. I can easily put two of these trolleys and a few more small bags. So if you're out with your family. For the. Weekend you should be OK. I also like that you get this handle now, so it's easier to just use in generally. At the rear you now have the new full width light cluster that debuted in the Punch Ice. While there's more. Of that Gray cladding and vertical design elements. Now when you step inside the new Tata Panchi, it's quite familiar. The overall layout has not changed from the last Panchi and also from the new Punch ICE. So you have that chunky, that toughish kind of look with these rounded air vents and a lot of different materials and textures. I really like how this has been done with this kind of recycled feel and the Tri arrow sort of design here and also this brushed effect, but I do wish there were a few more soft surfaces, especially on the door panels. As you can see, and this bit here has been slightly scuffed already. If there was a slightly better grade of plastics and maybe some soft surfaces, this whole area would have looked a lot better. Tara Motors has done a few small things here and there that do uplift the space now to start with, just like the ice punch overall you do get a sense of the level of fit and quality has gone up a little bit. So the panels feel a bit more tightly packed. They feel a bit more. There aren't too many of these sharp edges, so in that sense it's quite good. The screen layout is quite familiar. You have a 10.25 inch touchscreen, which like in other new data cars, is now fairly reliable and always had a. Crisp. Display and logical menus that work well on the move. You get a good. Suite of entertainment options on the wireless Android or Apple CarPlay works seamlessly. Unlike the new ice Punch, you get a full 10.25 inch drivers display. It's easy to use on the move, especially the Google Maps projection in the feed from the blind view function, but as before, the fonts could be larger. Practicality continues to be fairly good for a car of this size, although the Rotary gear selector still has a. Delay to it. There's a similar. Sense with the paddles for the region. Also the punch EV goes back to. Its default. Region settings every time you start the car. That can get annoying overtime. The climate control panel is again the same as an other Tata EV, so you find that the toggles are useful but the touch controls. Need effort to. Use on the move. But you have a slightly different bezel for the touchscreen and these quite simple window switches. They work in a slightly different manner, but I think they do give a modern sense to the car now. Another addition that I think works quite well is this upholstery. I think it feels quite premium, especially the fabric inserts that are on the sides and the seats themselves are also quite comfortable. You also have that feeling from these indicator stocks that have been lifted from the Sierra, but otherwise there's good practicality. Yes, this is the only place I can put my wireless charger, but otherwise I have this small cubby here which will hold my wallet. These cup holders are quite logically placed and I also have this small pocket here for my key and I have to say this has always been a trait of this alpha architecture that the dope pockets are quite large and it's very hot today in Kochi. I really quite like the ventilation function that these front seats have. Here's a look at all the other features and safety equipment that's on offer in the Punch EV. You have good. Safety equipment Although although a middle rear headrest is missing, Tata Moto says that the cooling system for the battery and the cabin have been improved. But. Real AC events are still missing, although you now get a Type C charge here. Some features like the rear. Disc brakes ambient. Lighting on the inside and the full width light bar has been deleted with the new prices. Now like before, you still get those 90° doors and in this instant it does actually help ingress and egress. And as you can see with the fully flat floor that I have, there's actually quite a decent amount of space to put my feet, especially since these seats are placed little bit high. And with this seat set to my driving position, I'm about 57. For me this is just enough space. But yes, if you are anywhere over 6 feet tall, you will find this to be a cramped space. But for me, as you can see, I have a good amount of knee room. I can't really stretch out or be really spread out and fit, but it's OK. And with there being just a single pane sunroof and with which is LED Tata to scoop out the roof lining here, I have a decent amount of headroom. Again, if you're closer to 6 feet, then this will be quite a cramped space. But I have to say, at least for four adults, if you were to not fit a third person, there's a good amount of shoulder room as well. But really what stands out for me in this backseat is that even though this is an EV, so the floor is slightly raised, paramotors has done something may be extended the squab or just raise the seat itself. I have pretty good thigh support, which is quite rare for any way, especially a small one such as this, so a lot of the seat comfort isn't compromised and its not that far behind. The Ice punch we think is great. Well, there's a lot more we want to tell you about the Punchy. We don't go anywhere after the short break. We'll get you more details. Stay with us. You're watching OverDrive. Welcome back here with 1000 OverDrive. The Tata Panch EV now comes with two powertrain options, a 30 and 40 kWh LFP battery pack, which will offer you a driving range of 468 kilometers. It's also starting at a very attractive price point of 9.69 lakh rupees. Now this makes it a very attractive proposition. Let's find out more. The Tata Punch Ev's new powertrain puts out 130 PS, while torque is now 154 MMM for the larger battery option. This is less than the 190 MMM from earlier, but Tata Moto says that the Punch has a wider range of peak torque and the performance and. Drivability have improved. The claim zero to 100 KMPH time is now 9 seconds, a drop of half a second from earlier power and. Torque outputs. For the smaller 30 kWh battery pack have also gone up. To 88 PS. And 1:54 and that smallest 25 kWh battery pack has now been discontinued. But the first sense that you get as soon as you start driving. The Tata Punch EV is that. It's quite an easy car to get used to, so if you're new to driving or just want an everyday runabout or for your office commute, then this car should make a lot of sense. It's just the right size for our city. Is it? The steering is not too heavy. It's got a tight tish turning circle, so all that kind of works in its favor. Visibility is decent enough even though you have a large A pillar. So what that means is is that the cars are a bit more drivable and you do notice it in the everyday. Now, of course it's an electric car, so it has that quite. Smooth. Easy take off at low speeds. Which all of these starter electrics do you notice that in the city mode or even the sport mode, it's not next snapping or really sharp with this acceleration. It's very manageable in all the modes. This car still feels strong enough. It still feels like it can give you an overtake from say 70 to 100, which for a small EV like this we havent quite seen become that easy yet. So I think that now, even for longer trips, the Tata Punch EV will make a good choice. You now have the range and charging speeds to help with this too. The large 40 kWh battery pack has 468 kilometers of Arai range, but Tata says you should be able to get up to 355 kilometers in the real world. With our quite. Heavy driving While testing the car and shooting the story, we managed an efficiency about 149 Watt hours per kilometer or 6.7 kilometers per kWh which made for a range of about 270 kilometers. So over 300 kilometers seems believable. We left the car in the city mode and level 2 region which is a good default setting for most driving situations. The DC fast charging speed has improved to 60. Five kilowatt which? Should get you from 10 to 80% charge in 30 minutes now. Yes, at lower speed, especially oversea expansion joints, you do notice that firm heft of an EV. So it can sort of have that slight jiggle and bounce over those surfaces. But I have to say that at other times it feels quite well managed. It feels like it's managing its weight well, which considering that this is a front wheel drive EV, yes, if you yes, in certain sort of low grip situations, you do find that the front is losing traction as stays quite composed. It doesn't sort of lose traction from the ground, which gives you again, that easy, confident feel from behind the wheel. Now, I do wish the steering had a bit more connection have when you're at center, you notice that it's not doing much and it's not very direct, which can in some quicker driving situations can sort of leave you guessing what the car is doing. But otherwise, given the fairly plush ride for an EV, like with most starters, it handles our rough roads really quite well. It can take potholes pretty well, it can take a beating well and at high speeds, again, with going with what has been done to the drivetrain, there's good stability, doesn't feel like a small car that you have to manage or be a bit careful of. It doesn't feel skittish or unsure of itself at high speed, which I think is great and will really broaden this car as a place just like how its drivetrain has now. This doesn't happen very often, but the Tata Punch EV is now cheaper than before with this top spec version coming in at Rupees 12.59 lakh X showroom. You also have a battery as a service option that will reduce the upfront amount you pay. This makes the Punch EV great value since there aren't too many other EVs in this price range. With the range and features the Punch EV offers. Yes, it could have had better materials in the cabin and some more rear seat space, but there's enough here to make for a competent everyday. EV. That is. Good for a few longer trips too. Coming up after this very short break, we get you details about the Range Rover Sport SV Edition 2.