Most cars from India’s two big brands – Tata and Mahindra – have scored well in Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP crash tests, and in your price range, all come equipped with a strong set of safety features. The SUVs from these brands are also pretty good on boot space, road presence and ground clearance, so you can’t go wrong with any on those counts as well.
Given your daily usage of 55km, a diesel car is beneficial for low running costs, but not essential either. However, as all your shortlisted cars do offer a diesel option, it’s worthwhile to choose one of them; they all offer good driveability too. When it comes to fuel efficiency or mileage, the Tata Sierra comes out on top of the others, as it uses a smaller and more efficient 1.5-litre engine, compared to the others, which use 2.0 or 2.2-litre diesels that are nowhere near as efficient.
On top of that, the Sierra feels like the newest and freshest of the lot, though the recently updated Mahindra XUV 7XO is not far behind. As for maintenance, neither brand has a stellar track record for service quality, but the costs are reasonable and competitive.