Tata Nexon EV Max

Best Mass Market EV In India?

The Tata Nexon EV has led the EV sales charts in India for multiple years. It had the early mover’s advantage initially, but it remains the go-to choice for most EV customers; thanks to a decent range figure, practicality of an SUV, and affordability against other luxury EVs. The Nexon EV Max follows it up with better performance, certain improvements in features, and a larger battery pack, which helps the range figure climb up to a claimed 453 km on a single charge (MIDC range). Does this make the Nexon EV Max the perfect mass-market EV for India right now? Let’s dive into it.

Tata Nexon EV Max Pros and Cons 

Tata Nexon EV Max Exterior Design 

The Tata Nexon has been in the Indian market for a while now, but the mid-cycle facelift and a few other design changes have kept the Nexon’s design fresh. The electric siblings get blue-coloured inserts all over the body too, including on the front grille and fog lamp cavities, along the door sills on the sides, and between the two tail lights. The Nexon EV Max is a sub-4-metre SUV, but the compact dimensions don’t hurt its proportions in any way. The 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 215/60 sized tyres also look properly sized for the car, unlike a few other SUVs nowadays which look under-tyred.

As is the case with most new Tata cars, the Nexon gets plenty of Tata’s signature ‘tri-arrow’ inserts as well. The headlights and taillights, both have tri-arrow LED inserts, and the front grille is also covered with blue-coloured tri-arrow elements. Even the door claddings have a 3D shape of a tri-arrow. Overall, the design of the Nexon EV Max remains pleasing to the eye, with no elements that stand out to be eyesores. 

Tata Nexon EV Max Interiors 

The Nexon EV Max’s interior has a very premium fit and finish, which makes it comparable to larger compact SUVs. There are plenty of tri-arrow design elements throughout the cabin, such as the door panels, seats, and dashboard. This being the electric counterpart of the Nexon, it gets certain blue inserts around the cabin too, most notably around the AC vents, instrument cluster, and in the centre console. The cabin retains its dual-tone finish with the dashboard having piano black inserts, and the seats are finished in a premium light beige leatherette. The Nexon EV Max also packs in a host of features, including a sunroof, ventilated front seats, wireless phone charger, air purifier with an AQI display, electrically operated tailgate, auto-dimming IRVM, and more. 

Tata Nexon EV Max Comfort 

The Tata Nexon EV Max’s front seats are well cushioned, providing good comfort even for longer durations. The addition of seat ventilation only adds to its cause. At the back too, the seats are well designed and can easily accommodate three passengers. There’s ample knee room and headroom too. However, because of the larger battery pack, the Nexon EV Max’s floor is raised by 10 mm, which leaves the rear passengers sitting in a very knees-up position. While this shouldn’t be much of a problem for shorter journeys, taller people over a longer period will be left in need of some much-needed under-thigh support.

On the suspension front, Tata has had to recalibrate the springs and dampers to take the additional weight of the batteries into account. While this stiffens up the ride a bit, the Nexon EV Max still rounds off bumps and potholes pretty well. There is a bit of side-to-side movement on broken roads though.

Tata Nexon EV Max Performance and Handling

When it comes to performance, the Nexon EV Max ups the benchmark set by the EV Prime. The EV Max uses its larger battery pack to improve the power and torque figures to 141 bhp and 250 Nm, all available instantly. While the battery pack adds a bit of heft, its placement under the floor gives the EV a low centre of gravity, making it a very happy handler. The addition of ESP also helps control wheelspin in corners. 

The EV Max now gets a new ‘Eco’ driving mode, with the other two being ‘City’ and ‘Sport’. There’s a pronounced difference between all the modes, but City or even Eco mode is more than sufficient for city commutes, thanks to the instant torque. Both the lesser modes restrict the power delivery to about 96 bhp and 170 Nm, while the Sport mode gives access to full performance. The Nexon EV Max also gets multi-mode regen, with three different levels of regenerative braking. You can also turn the regen all the way off if you are on a highway and coasting.

Tata Nexon EV Max Key specifications 

Tata Nexon EV Max Safety Features

While there is no separate crash test rating for the Nexon EV Max yet, it is based on the same platform as the ICE-powered Nexon, which famously became the first Indian car to score a 5-star crash test rating at Global NCAP. The Nexon EV Max gets all the basic safety features like ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, traction control, ISOFIX child seat mounts, TPMS, and more, but gets only two airbags, missing out on curtain airbags altogether. It also gets disc brakes on both ends, as opposed to the EV Prime which gets drum brakes on the rear wheels. 

Tata Nexon EV Max Technology and Infotainment

The Nexon EV Max gets a brand new 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit that replaces the older 7-inch unit available in Nexon’s other variants. The new unit not only looks better and heightens the sense of premiumness in the cabin, but is also very slick to use and packs in more tech like wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It also gets a voice assistant that can carry out simple tasks, which you can activate in six different languages. The infotainment is paired to an 8-speaker Harman sound system, which sounds great. Other features also include a new, higher resolution reversing camera. The instrument cluster is part-digital, with the analogue speedometer sitting next to a 7-inch display that shows all the necessary readouts. 

The EV Max now also gets a new drive selector which has a knurled finish around it and a display in the middle. The drive selector is satisfying to use and is easily readable in bright sunlight, but it is a little slow to respond, making the experience a bit frustrating when parking in a tight space, or making a three-point turn. An electronic parking brake also replaces the handbrake, freeing up some space in the centre console, and the cupholders make way for a wireless phone charger.  

Is the Tata Nexon EV Max for You?

All electric vehicles come with the same set of advantages and disadvantages. The running costs of EVs are significantly lower than ICE-powered vehicles and they have no tailpipe emissions, but EV charging infrastructure is still poor when it comes to inter-city travel, and range anxiety remains a thing. However, if you have decided to purchase an EV despite its handicaps, then the Tata Nexon EV Max is perhaps the best mass-market EV you could buy. The larger battery pack in the Nexon EV Max gives it a longer range than the standard Nexon EV Prime, and it also comes with a few additional features. 

It retains almost all the advantages of the ICE-powered Nexon as well, which is one of the most popular subcompact SUVs on sale in India right now. Furthermore, the lack of strong competition from other car manufacturers also plays in the Tata Nexon EV Max’s favour, making it the pick of its segment.