Vinit Bhavi, based in Mumbai and working in the shipping industry, bought a Hyundai Creta Electric Excellence LR — the 51.4kWh, Starry Night-coloured top-spec variant — on Dussehra in October 2025. Nine months and roughly 12,000 km later, he shared a detailed account of what ownership has actually been like.
The Creta Electric replaced a petrol Honda Jazz; Vinit's household also runs a diesel Jeep Compass. Before deciding, he test drove the MG Windsor, the Kia Carens Clavis EV, and the Tata Nexon EV. What tipped it in the Creta's favour, he says, was "the overall package, service and brand reliability" — the family had owned a Hyundai i10 Grand some years earlier — along with, in his words, "the perfect size and non-radical looks."
Purchase Experience
The booking and delivery process went smoothly overall, though with one hiccup: the salesperson he had negotiated with left the dealership before delivery, and Vinit had to convince the new salesperson to honour the original deal. The wait was only a few weeks, and delivery arrived on time, as promised, on Dussehra. One thing did slip through — he missed Maharashtra's EV purchase rebate of ₹1.5 lakh by about a month.
For home charging, Vinit did his own research through EV owner groups and had a Zevpoint charger installed, along with a separate Adani EV meter.
Range, Charging and the Solapur Run
Real-world range has matched his expectations. "400 approx and its on point and as expected," he says. He keeps the AC on at all times; highway driving drops range by about 50 km, while slower city traffic adds roughly 50 km back.
He charges almost exclusively at home, timing sessions during the day to take advantage of the Time-of-Day tariff rebate, and keeps charging within a 20-80/90% band to stay inside that window. Public charging has been rare for him, but he describes the experience as good wherever he's used it, specifically on the Mumbai-Pune expressway.
His longest trip so far was Mumbai to Solapur, which he completed with 1% charge remaining. "It was good with the planning," he says. Range anxiety isn't something he deals with: "None, I know she will go 10 kms and more even with zero percent."
Running Costs
Vinit's monthly charging cost comes to about ₹2,000, against roughly ₹12,000 he used to spend on fuel. He reports no additional costs beyond an extended warranty — one he notes he would have taken on an ICE car as well.
Driving Experience
He finds the car "much more capable in the city," with a visible range drop on the highway, especially at higher speeds. On the drivetrain itself, he's unreserved in his praise: acceleration, regenerative braking and one-pedal driving are, in his words, "absolute brilliant — Hyundai have done a phenomenal job on this." Ride quality is good but a bit stiff, and NVH levels are good.
He drives almost exclusively in Normal mode, and describes his approach to regen levels: level 0 for empty roads, level 1 for moving traffic, levels 2-3 for slower traffic, Auto mode for expressways and highways, and i-Pedal for bumper-to-bumper conditions.
On tech, he mostly uses Apple CarPlay via a dongle and auto-regen during driving. The infotainment and connected app experience are functional but unremarkable — he specifically wishes there were wireless Android Auto and CarPlay. He's noted one ADAS quirk: a sudden collision warning while reversing.
The Verdict
Vinit calls the Creta Electric the most practical size vehicle for a family of four and for city driving, and reports no software glitches or service issues so far. He rates the service network in Mumbai as excellent. His biggest positive surprise has been efficiency — how much he can extract from the car without hypermiling.
What he likes most is that efficiency. His list of dislikes is specific: no powered tailgate despite the price point, unlit window switches that he calls "very cheap and unlike Hyundai," Android Auto and CarPlay available only via dongle rather than wirelessly, no separate buttons for the sunroof and sunshade, no request sensor on the passenger side, and no TPMS coverage for the boot-mounted spare tyre.
Asked if he'd recommend the car, Vinit's answer was simple: "100 percent." His advice to anyone considering the same purchase: "If possible wait a little longer — I feel battery tech is evolving and bigger size (capacity) batteries will come at smaller sizes."
Disclaimer: All details shared are with permission from Mr. Vinit Bhavi. The opinions are personal and ElecTree is providing him the platform to express his honest views. Images used belong to Mr. Bhavi and are used with his permission. Removing the Electree logo and using the image on any social media platform will amount to copyright infringement.
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