Hyundai Creta Electric Debuts in India — EV SUV with Up to 473 KM Range

The all-new Hyundai Creta Electric makes its global debut in India, featuring up to 473 KM of all-electric range.

The Indian market is welcoming yet another compact SUV model from Korea, this time taking the form of the all-new Hyundai Creta Electric. This new EV SUV is essentially the all-electric version of the Creta B-SUV, which happens to be one of the marque’s best-selling models in the region.

From the get-go, you’ll immediately notice that the Creta Electric boasts some significant design changes to set it apart from its ICE-powered twin. The most notable changes being its front face, where the EV SUV swaps the ICE Creta’s parametric jewel front grille for a partially enclosed one with active aero flaps on the lower part. Supplementing the almost grill-less look are some pixelated patterns that are staples in other Hyundai EV models like the Ioniq 5.

The pixelated theme continues as we go to the rear part of the Creta Electric, as the lower part of the rear bumper gets the same finish as the front one, plus some aluminium accents and plastic cladding. Aside from the slightly tweaked front and rear ends, as well as the enclosed 17-inch alloy wheels it rides on, the Creta Electric looks very similar to its combustion twin, as it retains the same boxy SUV silhouette and the overall dimensions.

While Hyundai has yet to unveil any official photos of the Creta Electric’s innards, we can expect the EV SUV to get the same equipment list as its combustion twin. Some equipment we can expect to see here includes the dual 10.25-inch screens, a new steering wheel with an Ioniq 5-inspired gear shifter column behind it, several physical knobs and dials for the driver-related and climate controls, and many more.

By far the biggest difference between the ICE-powered Creta and its new electric twin lies in the powertrain, as the latter gets a single-motor FWD powertrain setup with two battery options. Although no powertrain numbers were revealed, Hyundai claims the baseline model’s 43-kWh battery pack is good enough for up to 390 KM of EV range, while the top-spec model gets a higher maximum EV range of 473 KM, thanks to its larger 51.4-kWh battery unit. Mind you, both of these range figures are based on India’s ARAI standards, so WLTP figures may differ.

Charging-wise, Hyundai claims the Creta Electric can be charged from 10-80% in 58 minutes via DC charging, while a 10-100% charge takes 4 hours in a standard 11 kW AC wallbox. Despite sharing the same platform as its ICE-powered twin, the Creta Electric still has enough space to accommodate a small front trunk (frunk), which seems to be big enough for a standard Type 2 charging cable.

The all-new Hyundai Creta Electric will be making its first public appearance at the upcoming Bharat Mobility Show later this month, with deliveries slated to commence afterwards. As of now, no news of whether this compact EV SUV will be made available to other international markets, but it will face stiff competition in India against the likes of the new Suzuki eVitara and Tata Curvv EV, to name a few.

Closer to home, local Hyundai vanguard Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) currently offers the ICE-powered Creta SUV in its pre-facelift form, which didn’t bode so well in our market compared to India.