Indian automakers witnessed many highs and lows in 2021. Amid turbulent times some of the automakers have managed to stay afloat while some have emerged as gladiators with their highest ever sales. The steadily growing demand for compact SUVs has boosted sales for the SUV/crossover segment as a whole, wherein its market share has reached an all-time high of 38 per cent in 2021.

Read below to learn more about the top-three bestselling compact SUVs in India in 2021

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza

Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza tops the compact SUV sales chart in 2021. The popular compact SUV has witnessed a healthy 39 per cent growth in sales with 1,15,962 units sold in the country as against 83,666-unit sales in the year 2020.

Mechanically, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is powered by a 1.5-litre K-Series petrol engine which produces 103bhp and 138Nm of torque. This engine gets a five-speed manual transmission and an automatic transmission option with Smart Hybrid technology.

Tata Nexon

Tata Nexon has all guns blazing in 2021 with a massive sales growth of 122 per cent. The Indian automaker sold 1,08,577 units of the Nexon compact SUV in 2021 as compared to 48,841-unit sales in 2020. The Nexon EV has also been a strong contributor to the model’s success in the Indian market.

Apart from the electric version, the Nexon can be had in both petrol and diesel engine options. The 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine generates 118bhp at 5,500rpm and 170Nm of torque at 1,750rpm. This engine is available in six-speed manual and AMT options. On the other hand, the Nexon diesel gets a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine which generates 108bhp at 4,000rpm and 260Nm of torque at 1,500rpm. This engine is available with a six-speed manual transmission.

Hyundai Venue

The Hyundai Venue missed the second rank by just 570 units. The company sold 1,08,007 units of the Venue compact SUV in 2021 as compared to 82,428-unit sales in 2020, thereby registering a growth of 31 per cent.

Mechanically, the Venue is available in both petrol and diesel engine options. The diesel version is powered by a 1.5-litre diesel engine that generates 99bhp and 240Nm of torque and is mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The 1.0-litre Turbo GDi is the powerful one of the lot, with an output of 118bhp/172Nm torque. Alternatively, customers can also opt for a 1.2-litre petrol engine which generates 82bhp at 6,000rpm.