Kia recently marked its entry into the mass market EV segment with the launch of the new Carens Clavis EV. The electric MPV is the brand’s first made-in-India electric car, with models such as the EV6 and flagship EV9 currently imported as CBUs. The launch of the Clavis EV also made the Carens Clavis Kia’s first model to be offered in both internal combustion (ICE) and all-electric guise, and with similarly labelled trim levels. So just how much of a price difference are you looking at?
To start with, the Clavis EV doesn’t get a true sparsely equipped base variant, with the range starting straight from a more mid-spec HTK Plus trim level. The ICE Clavis, meanwhile, starts from a base HTE trim level, which sees the starting price drop to a low Rs 11.50 lakh to the Clavis EV’s Rs 17.99 lakh starting price. So, for fairness, we’ve only compared prices of similar trim levels.
As mentioned above, the HTK Plus is the entry variant for the Carens Clavis EV and as you will see in our variants explained story, it is anything but basic at Rs 17.99 lakh (ex-showroom).
Also read: Kia Carens Clavis EV: Variants Explained
| Kia Carens Clavis T-GDi HTK Plus | Kia Carens Clavis DSL HTK Plus | Kia Carens Clavis EV HTK Plus | |
| MT | Rs 15.40 lakh | Rs 16.50 lakh | --- |
| AT | Rs 16.90 lakh (DCT) | Rs 18 lakh | Rs 17.99 lakh |
On the ICE front, prices for HTK Plus trim start at Rs 15.40 lakh for the turbo-petrol manual variant, which gets bumped up to Rs 16.90 lakh should you opt for the DCT – a price gap of roughly Rs 2.59 lakh and Rs 1.09 lakh respectively. Moving to the diesel, the 1.5 diesel manual powertrain sets you back Rs 16.50 lakh while the diesel automatic is positioned higher at Rs 18 lakh, bringing the price difference to Rs 1.49 lakh and nil respectively.
The Carens Clavis EV gets additional features over the ICE MPV; HTK Plus variants get dual 12.25-inch displays to the ICE Carens Clavis' 8.0-inch touchscreen and analogue guages.
What also should be noted is that the Carens Clavis EV’s prices are introductory, and the electric vehicle does get some additional features over its ICE counterpart, such as the pair of 12.25-inch displays and all-LED lighting, which are standard fit. The ICE Carens Clavis HTK Plus instead gets bits such as non-LED projector headlamps, a smaller 8.0-inch touchscreen and an analogue instrument cluster.
Also Read: Kia Carens Clavis EV Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs 17.99 Lakh
Moving up the range to the HTX trim, here the buyers of the EV get the option of two battery packs – 42 kWh or 51.4 kWh. Both variants offer near identical features, with the only main difference coming down to the wheel size. The 42-kWh variant gets 16-inch alloys while the 51.4 kWh model gets larger 17-inchers. In terms of price, the HTX 42 kWh is priced at Rs 20.49 lakh while the 51.4 kWh variant costs Rs 22.49 lakh. The additional cost is mainly centred around the larger battery and additional power from the electric motor.
| Kia Carens Clavis T-GDi HTX | Kia Carens Clavis DSL HTX | Kia Carens Clavis EV HTX | |
| MT | Rs 18.40 lakh | Rs 19.50 lakh | --- |
| iMT | Rs 18.70 lakh | --- | --- |
| AT | Rs 19.70 lakh (DCT) | --- | Rs 20.49 lakh (42 kWh) / Rs 22.49 lakh (51.4 kWh) |
ICE Carens Clavis is up to Rs 4.89 lakh more affordable than its EV counterpart, depending on the powertrain selected and variant.
On the ICE side, the Carens Clavis petrol’s price starts at Rs 18.40 lakh for the turbo-petrol manual, Rs 18.70 lakh for the turbo-petrol iMT and Rs 19.70 lakh for the turbo-petrol DCT. This makes it up to Rs 2 lakh more affordable than the 42 kWh variant and up to Rs 4.09 lakh more affordable than the 51.4 kWh variant. However, the sizeable price differences come with some substantial feature differences as well. One of these is that the Carens Clavis EV gets Level 2 ADAS functions from the HTX trim onwards, compared to only on the HTX+ in the ICE Clavis.
Also read: Kia Carens Clavis EV: In Pictures
On the diesel front, the Carens Clavis diesel manual is priced at Rs 19.50 lakh – about Rs 1 lakh lower than the Clavis EV HTX 42 kWh. The Carens Clavis lacks a diesel automatic option in HTX trim.
In fully loaded spec, the Clavis EV is solely available with the 51.4 kWh battery priced at Rs 24.49 lakh. In comparison, the ICE Carens Clavis is priced from Rs 19.40 lakh for the turbo-petrol-manual, Rs 19.70 lakh for the iMT and Rs 21.50 lakh for the DCT. The DCT is the only variant to offer Level 2 ADAS tech on the ICE Carens Clavis. There is no diesel engine option in the top trim.
| Kia Carens Clavis T-GDi HTX Plus | Kia Carens Clavis DSL HTX Plus | Kia Carens Clavis EV HTX Plus | |
| MT | Rs 19.40 lakh | --- | --- |
| iMT | Rs 19.70 lakh | --- | --- |
| AT | Rs 21.50 lakh (DCT) | --- | Rs 24.49 lakh |
Carens Clavis EV has a Rs 2 lakh price difference between the 42 kWh and 51.4 kWh variants in HTX trim.
Here too, the price gap is quite notable, stretching as much as Rs 4.89 lakh between the turbo-petrol-manual and the EV and as little as Rs 2.79 lakh when compared with the DCT. However, do note that only the ICE Carens gets the option for captain seats in the middle row, while the EV is only offered as a 7-seater.
Kia will commence accepting bookings for the new Carens Clavis EV from July 22, 2025 with the MPV lacking any direct competition in the electric MPV space. The nearest three-row rival is the more premium BYD eMax7.
