Toyota has finally plugged into India’s mass-market EV space. With the launch of the Toyota Urban Cruiser EV, the Japanese carmaker is taking on familiar rivals — the Hyundai Creta Electric and Maruti Suzuki’s upcoming Maruti Suzuki e-Vitara. All three target buyers looking for a practical, mid-size electric SUV without stepping into premium EV pricing.
Here’s a clear, no-nonsense look at how these electric SUVs stack up across design, features, batteries and key specifications.
Design: Familiar shapes, different personalities
The Urban Cruiser EV shares its basic silhouette with the e-Vitara but wears a more muscular Toyota-style face. Up front, it gets a wide, sculpted grille with sharper detailing inspired by Toyota’s global EV design language. The sides are clean and SUV-like, with black body cladding, flush rear door handles mounted on the C-pillar, and large 18- or 19-inch aerodynamic alloy wheels.
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At the back, the design is restrained but modern, featuring connected LED tail lamps, a roof spoiler, a high-mounted stop lamp and a silver skid plate. A compact fog lamp sits low on the bumper, adding a subtle rugged touch.
Dimension-wise, the Urban Cruiser EV measures 4,285mm in length, 1,800mm in width and 1,640mm in height, with a long 2,700mm wheelbase. Toyota has tuned it for urban use, offering a tight 5.2-metre turning radius.
The Creta Electric, meanwhile, plays to Hyundai’s strength in cabin appeal. It gets a dual-tone Granite Grey and Dark Navy interior, ocean-blue ambient lighting, and a floating centre console. The highlight is the 10.25-inch dual curvilinear infotainment and digital cluster setup, which gives the cabin a distinctly futuristic feel. Hyundai also offers a frunk (22 litres) along with a 433-litre boot, boosting everyday usability.
Maruti’s e-Vitara sticks to a cleaner, practical design approach. It looks familiar, solid and no-nonsense — very much in line with Maruti Suzuki’s mass-market appeal.
Features: Comfort meets EV-specific tech
The Creta Electric leads when it comes to cabin tech and comfort. It offers a modern three-spoke EV-specific steering wheel with Morse code detailing, touch-type dual-zone automatic climate control, and a driver-only mode aimed at improving range efficiency.
The e-Vitara focuses on ownership flexibility as much as features. It will be offered in Delta, Zeta and Alpha variants, with options like Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS), assured buyback programmes and subscription plans. Maruti has also tied up with 13 charging operators, promising around 2,000 chargers live on day one.
Toyota is expected to balance both worlds — offering essential tech and comfort features while keeping the focus on reliability and ease of use.
Battery, range and powertrain
This is where things get interesting.
The Urban Cruiser EV comes with two battery options — 49kWh and 61kWh. The smaller battery powers a front-mounted motor producing 144hp, while the larger 61kWh version delivers 174hp. Both produce 189Nm of torque. Toyota also offers an AWD option with dual motors, pushing output to 184hp and 300Nm. The claimed range with the larger battery goes up to 550km on a full charge.
Hyundai’s Creta Electric gets two battery packs as well — a 42kWh unit with a claimed range of 390km and a larger 51.4kWh battery offering up to 473km. It’s clearly tuned for a mix of city driving and occasional highway runs.
The e-Vitara uses LFP battery technology and offers both FWD and AWD variants. Maruti claims a driving range of up to 500km, placing it right between the Toyota and Hyundai on paper.
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Which one should you watch?
If you want maximum tech and a premium cabin feel, the Creta Electric makes a strong case. The Urban Cruiser EV stands out with its longer claimed range, AWD option and Toyota’s reliability image. The e-Vitara, meanwhile, banks on flexible ownership models, wide charging support and Maruti’s service network.
In the end, this three-way EV fight is good news for buyers — more choice, better tech and fewer compromises.
