Revealing little but important details of the Punch over the past two months, Tata Motors has finally launched the much-anticipated micro-SUV in India at a starting price of Rs 5.49 lakh (ex-showroom). With such a dog-eat-dog price tag, the Punch stands in the same ring as some of its accomplished contenders, such as Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, Renault Kiger, and Renault Triber.

One of the crucial aspects for buyers in this segment is the mileage these cars give. Also, to add to the woes are the rising fuel prices that makes it imperative for cars in today’s age to have a decent fuel economy. Here, we compare the Tata Punch to its closest rivals in terms of fuel efficiency figures.

With the launch of the Punch, Tata Motors has revealed that the micro-SUV will return an ARAI certified mileage of 18.97 kilometres (Manual) and 18.82 kilometres (Automatic) to a litre. In comparison with the Maruti Suzuki Swift, these figures are significantly lower. The Swift in the manual guise is claimed to return 23.20kmpl, while an equally impressive 23.76kmpl with the AMT unit. Although the real-world figures are likely to be lower, we presume that the Swift with its retuned engine will score higher than the Punch.

Another close opponent to the Punch is the Grand i10 Nios. The Nios gets a 1.2-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated engine that generates 82bhp and 114Nm of torque. The ARAI certified economy is 20.7kmpl for the manual and 20.5 kmpl for the AMT version. Besides this, the Nios is also available in more frugal powertrain options such as CNG and a 1.2-litre diesel mill.

The next one on the list is the Turbo Manual version of the Renault Kiger that is powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol engine. As per Renault India, Kiger’s turbo manual variant has an ARAI figure of 20.5kmpl. These numbers might make any new car buyer happy, however, we recently tested the Kiger in real-world conditions where it gave us a combined fuel efficiency of 16.14kmpl. To read our detailed fuel efficiency analysis of the Kiger, click here.

The last model on the table is the Renault Triber. Yes, the Triber has a different body style and is not directly comparable to the Punch. However, with prices starting at nearly the same point, one would consider the three-row MPV that is powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine. The ARAI figures on the Triber are 19kmpl and 18.29kmpl for the manual and automatic transmissions, respectively.

So, where does this leave the Punch? Do we conclude that it’s the least fuel-efficient of the lot? No, we will soon test the Punch in real-world conditions to bring to you the real-time fuel efficiency figures. Until then, you can read our first-drive review of the Tata Punch.