6 Best CNG Compact SUVs Under ₹20 Lakh in India

Factory fitted CNG has moved beyond hatchbacks and into the compact SUV segment, and six models now offer it: the Maruti Fronx, Maruti Brezza, Hyundai Exter, Tata Punch, Tata Nexon and Toyota Taisor. All six are comfortably under ₹20 lakh, so this list compares them on price, mileage, boot space and transmission to help you pick the right one.

Key takeaways

• Maruti Fronx: a well-rounded factory CNG option at ₹7.89 lakh, ₹0.56 lakh below its mechanically identical Toyota twin, the Taisor.
• Maruti Brezza: the only one here with an underbody CNG tank, so it keeps its full 328-litre boot instead of losing space to the cylinder.
• Hyundai Exter: ₹6.99 lakh for the HX2 CNG, within ₹0.14 lakh of the cheapest car here.
• Tata Punch: the cheapest way in at ₹6.85 lakh for the Smart CNG, and the only CNG car in this list available with an automatic transmission, on the Pure+ trim and above.
• Tata Nexon: the most powerful CNG engine here at 100 PS, and the only turbocharged option, though it posts the lowest CNG mileage of the six.
• Toyota Taisor: mechanically identical to the Fronx and matching it on 6 airbags as standard since August 2025, but ₹0.56 lakh pricier at its base CNG trim.

What does compact SUV mean?

In India, a "compact SUV" almost always means a sub-4 metre SUV, specifically one under 4,000mm in length. That's the cutoff that qualifies a car for a lower excise duty slab, and it's a different, smaller category from mid-size or C-segment SUVs like the Maruti Grand Vitara or Victoris, which run past 4.3 metres and sit in a higher price and tax bracket even on CNG.

All six cars on this list, the Fronx, Brezza, Exter, Punch, Nexon and Taisor, fall under that 4-metre limit. It's also why none of them cost anywhere close to the ₹20 lakh ceiling in this list's title; the segment simply doesn't go that high on CNG yet.

How we shortlisted these cars

• Sub 4m compact SUV body style only: mid-size and C-segment SUVs, even ones with CNG, like the Grand Vitara and Victoris, are excluded.
• Factory fitted CNG only: no retrofit kits were considered, so cars like the Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger, which only offer retrofit CNG, don't appear here.
• Current, on sale CNG trim: pricing, features and specifications reflect the specific entry level CNG trim each model is actually sold in today.

Best CNG compact SUVs under ₹20 lakh

Model	CNG Price (Ex-showroom)	Fitting	CNG Engine	CNG Mileage	Boot Space (CNG)	Transmission (CNG)
Maruti Fronx	₹7.89 lakh	Factory-fitted	76.4 bhp, 98.5 Nm	28.51 km/kg	308L (petrol; no CNG-specific figure)	5-speed MT only
Maruti Brezza	₹9.35 lakh	Factory-fitted (underbody tank)	87 bhp, 121.5 Nm	26.90 km/kg	328L (matches petrol; underbody tank)	5-speed MT only
Hyundai Exter	₹6.99 lakh	Factory-fitted	68 bhp, 95.2 Nm	27.1 km/kg	225L	5-speed MT only
Tata Punch	₹6.85 lakh (Smart CNG)	Factory-fitted	72 bhp, 103 Nm	26.99 km/kg	210L	5-speed MT (AMT from Pure+ CNG, ₹8.77 lakh)
Tata Nexon	₹8.35 lakh	Factory-fitted	100 PS, 170 Nm	24 km/kg	321L (down 61L from petrol; twin-cylinder tank)	6-speed MT only
Toyota Taisor	₹8.45 lakh	Factory-fitted	76.43 bhp, 98.5 Nm	28.51 km/kg	308L (petrol; no CNG-specific figure)	5-speed MT only

1. Maruti Fronx

• Pricing: ₹7.89 lakh
• Fitting: Factory fitted CNG

The Fronx is Maruti's compact SUV/crossover, sold via NEXA, and is the only Maruti model available with a turbo-petrol engine, though that option doesn't extend to CNG. This is the Sigma CNG, the range's base trim, built on the 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox exclusively. Every car on this list now carries 6 airbags as standard at its entry CNG trim, so what separates it from its own Toyota twin, the Taisor, is price: the Fronx undercuts it by ₹0.56 lakh.

Features:

• 6 airbags as standard

• Automatic climate control with rear AC vents

• Rear parking sensors

• 60:40 split-foldable rear seat

• Keyless entry and power windows (front and rear)

• ESC, central locking and engine immobiliser

• Engine: 76.4 bhp @ 6000 rpm, 98.5 Nm @ 4300 rpm.

• Mileage: 28.51 km/kg, tied for the highest of the six.

• Boot space: 308 litres on petrol. A CNG-specific figure hasn't been published.

• Transmission: 5-speed manual only.

• Warranty: 3 years/100,000 km standard, extendable up to 6 years/160,000 km.

2. Maruti Brezza

• Pricing: ₹9.35 lakh
• Fitting: Factory fitted CNG with an underbody tank

The Brezza was facelifted in July 2026, and that update moved its CNG cylinder from the boot to an underbody-mounted position, a first for this Maruti model. This is the LXI CNG, the entry-level trim. Being the base variant, it skips automatic climate control and touchscreen infotainment entirely, both of which are reserved for the turbo-petrol range. What it doesn't skip is the safety kit: 6 airbags are standard even at this trim, a change from the Brezza's older lineup where that wasn't guaranteed at the base level.

Features:

• 6 airbags as standard

• Electronic stability control and hill-hold assist

• Manual air conditioning with rear AC vents

• ISOFIX child seat mounts

• Remote central locking

• Engine: 87 bhp, 121.5 Nm.

• Mileage: 26.90 km/kg.

• Boot space: 328 litres, matching the petrol Brezza. The underbody CNG tank means the cylinder doesn't cut into cargo space at all, unlike the other five cars here.

• Transmission: 5-speed manual only.

• Warranty: 3 years/100,000 km standard, extendable up to 6 years/160,000 km.

3. Hyundai Exter

• Pricing: ₹6.99 lakh
• Fitting: Factory fitted CNG

The Exter is Hyundai's compact SUV, and this HX2 CNG is the second cheapest car here, ₹0.14 lakh above the Punch Smart CNG. Despite the low price, Hyundai hasn't stripped out the safety kit to get there, with 6 airbags as standard. What it does without is a touchscreen and a rear camera, both of which arrive from the next trim up.

Features:

• 6 airbags as standard

• ABS with ESC and hill-assist control

• Digital instrument cluster with colour TFT display

• Driver seat height adjustment

• Rear parking sensors

• TPMS and ISOFIX child seat mounts

• Engine: 68 bhp @ 6000 rpm, 95.2 Nm @ 4000 rpm, the least powerful engine on this list.

• Mileage: 27.1 km/kg.

• Boot space: 225 litres, the second smallest here after the Punch's 210 litres.

• Transmission: 5-speed manual only.

• Warranty: 3 years/unlimited km standard (Hyundai's standard car warranty terms).

4. Tata Punch

• Pricing: ₹6.85 lakh (Smart CNG); ₹7.68 lakh for the Pure CNG covered here
• Fitting: Factory fitted CNG

The Punch is Tata's smallest SUV, and its CNG range opens at ₹6.85 lakh with the Smart CNG, the cheapest car on this list; the Pure CNG covered here sits a rung above at ₹7.68 lakh. It's the most basic car on this list in terms of equipment, skipping touchscreen, Bluetooth, and a rear camera entirely. It is also the only one with a path to an automatic transmission: stepping up to the Pure+ CNG trim at ₹8.77 lakh adds an AMT gearbox, something none of the other five cars offer on CNG at any price.

Features:

• 6 airbags as standard

• Electronic stability control and hill-assist

• ISOFIX child seat mounts

• Steering-mounted audio controls

• Rear defogger and rear AC ducts

• Speed-sensing auto door lock

• Engine: 72 bhp @ 6000 rpm, 103 Nm @ 3500 rpm.

• Mileage: 26.99 km/kg.

• Boot space: 210 litres, down from 366 litres on the petrol Punch.

• Transmission: 5-speed manual on this base Pure CNG trim; AMT is available from the Pure+ CNG trim upward, the only automatic CNG option on this list.

• Warranty: Tata's standard new car warranty; specific CNG kit coverage should be confirmed at the dealership.

5. Tata Nexon

• Pricing: ₹8.35 lakh
• Fitting: Factory fitted CNG

The Nexon is Tata's best-selling SUV, and it's the only car on this list where the CNG engine is turbocharged, carrying over the 1.2-litre Revotron engine at a reduced state of tune. This is the Smart CNG, the base trim, and it's a stripped-down starting point: no touchscreen, no 360-degree camera, and no automatic climate control, features that appear only from higher trims. What it does bring is the most power of any car here by a clear margin, at the cost of the lowest CNG mileage in this list.

Features:

• 6 airbags as standard

• ABS with EBD and ESC

• ISOFIX child seat mounts

• Reverse parking sensors

• Basic digital instrument cluster

• LED headlamps, DRLs and tail lamps

• Engine: 100 PS (about 99 bhp), 170 Nm, roughly 20 PS down on the petrol tune but with torque unchanged, the most powerful engine on this list by a wide margin.

• Mileage: 24 km/kg (ARAI-certified), the lowest of the six.

• Boot space: 321 litres, down 61 litres from the petrol Nexon's 382 litres, second only to the Brezza's 328 litres thanks to Tata's twin-cylinder tank design.

• Transmission: 6-speed manual only.

• Warranty: Tata's standard new-car warranty; specific CNG kit coverage should be confirmed at the dealership.

6. Toyota Taisor

• Pricing: ₹8.45 lakh
• Fitting: Factory fitted CNG

The Taisor is Toyota's rebadged version of the Fronx, sharing the same platform, 1.2-litre engine and 5-speed manual gearbox. This is the E CNG, the base trim. Toyota standardised 6 airbags across every Taisor variant in August 2025, so it matches the Fronx on safety kit as well as performance, but it costs ₹0.56 lakh more. The choice between the two comes down to that gap, and to Toyota's dealer network and service experience versus Maruti's wider reach.

Features:

• 6 airbags as standard

• Automatic climate control

• Keyless entry

• Power windows (front and rear)

• ESP and hill-hold assist

• Rear parking sensors and ISOFIX child seat mounts

• Engine: 76.43 bhp @ 6000 rpm, 98.5 Nm @ 4300 rpm, effectively identical to the Fronx.

• Mileage: 28.51 km/kg.

• Boot space: 308 litres on petrol, shared with the Fronx's platform. A CNG-specific figure hasn't been published.

• Transmission: 5-speed manual only.

• Warranty: 3 years/100,000 km standard, extendable through Toyota's extended warranty programme.

Conclusion

Six compact SUVs now offer factory fitted CNG, and the right pick depends on what matters most to you. The Punch is the cheapest way in. The Brezza is the only one that doesn't sacrifice boot space for the CNG tank. The Punch is the only one with a path to an automatic transmission. The Nexon trades mileage for the most power on this list. The Fronx and Taisor sit in the middle on most metrics, and now match on safety kit too, so the difference between them is the Fronx's ₹0.56 lakh price advantage.

FAQs

Which is the cheapest CNG compact SUV in India?

The Tata Punch, at ₹6.85 lakh ex-showroom for the Smart CNG variant, just below the Hyundai Exter HX2 CNG at ₹6.99 lakh.

Is there a compact SUV with CNG and an automatic transmission?

Yes, but only one: the Tata Punch offers an AMT gearbox on CNG from its Pure+ trim upward, at ₹8.77 lakh. None of the other five cars on this list offer CNG with anything but a manual gearbox.

Does the CNG tank reduce boot space on these cars?

On three of the six, yes. Only the Brezza (underbody tank) keeps its full petrol boot space; the Fronx and Taisor haven't had CNG-specific boot figures published, so the extent of any reduction on those two isn't confirmed.

Are the Maruti Fronx and Toyota Taisor really the same car?

Mechanically, yes, they share the same platform, engine, and gearbox. Both get 6 airbags as standard at their base CNG trim, so the main difference is price: the Fronx undercuts the Taisor by ₹0.56 lakh.