Tata Motors earlier this year in February launched the Punch.ev facelift in India. This time around, the EV micro-SUV has been launched with a larger 40 kWh battery pack. And as the number of deliveries has increased, people are now sharing their honest ownership reviews of this SUV. Recently, a Tata Punch.ev 40 kWh owner has also shared his experience after driving the electric SUV for over 6,100 km. In this detailed video, he has highlighted a number of major and minor issues that he has been facing with his vehicle.
The video review of the Tata Punch.ev 40 kWh has been shared on YouTube by Former Man India on their channel. It starts off with the owner mentioning that he purchased this particular 2026 Tata Punch.ev 40 kWh facelift from the very first batch after the launch. He added that he received the delivery within 30 days of booking and has completed around 6,141 km in just two months of ownership.
The owner of this Punch.ev highlights that his vehicle’s battery efficiency, range, and overall engineering are good. However, the quality control and assembly standards of Tata Motors need a lot of improvement. Following this, he starts listing all the major issues faced by him. And the first major issue which is mentioned is related to the battery cooling system.
He stated that at around 1,000 km, an amber warning light appeared on the instrument cluster. After which, he took the vehicle to the service centre and it was diagnosed that the coolant pump responsible for circulating coolant through the battery pack was not working properly.
As a result, the battery cooling system was not operating as per the factory spec. Now, what’s surprising is that even after crossing 6,000 km, the coolant pump had still not been replaced. He mentions that the issue was diagnosed, but the replacement process was still pending at the time of recording the video.
The second major issue which the owner mentions occurred during a trip to a hill station. The owner explained that the vehicle suddenly entered limp mode while driving. At the same time, the dashboard also started displaying a high-voltage critical error warning.
What made the situation worse was that the battery was not running low. According to him, the battery charge level was around 82-84 percent when the error appeared. However, the vehicle’s performance was restricted, which created a stressful situation during the drive for the owner.
Next up, he pointed out a software-related issue which involved Tata Motors’ IRA connected car application. He explained that whenever he remotely starts the air conditioning using the IRA app, the AC functions normally. However, just when he unlocks the vehicle and enters it, the dashboard shows an HV Critical Error warning. This issue has happened multiple times and remains unresolved, stated the owner in the video.
Another issue faced by the owner is related to the software, which involves the Distance To Empty (DTE) display. According to the owner, every time he charges the vehicle to 100 percent, the distance-to-empty figure resets and gets locked at exactly 290 km.
Apart from this, he also highlighted a number of fit-and-finish-related issues. According to him, the protective caps on both sides of the front suspension are loose and create rattling noises. He also found that the fuse box and auxiliary OBD ports were not fitted properly. And he had to use tissues and wire ties himself to stop the rattling sounds coming from these parts.
The owner also added that both A-pillar trim panels inside the cabin have started coming off. He also noted that a few screws were missing from the dashboard from the factory itself. According to him, these issues clearly point towards poor assembly quality checks.
In addition to these problems, the owner noticed a number of cosmetic defects as well. He stated that the co-driver seat had visible scratches from the time of delivery. He also found an uneven paint finish in certain areas, paint chips, and even hair strands trapped underneath the paint layer in some sections of the vehicle.
At the end of the video, the owner stated that despite facing all of these issues, he does not hate the Punch.ev. Instead, he stated that the vehicle’s battery efficiency, driving range, practicality, and overall EV technology are amazing. He also appreciated his local Tata Motors service centre for being supportive. However, he highlighted that Tata Motors needs to improve its plant-level quality assurance and assembly line checks, as most of the problems he encountered were related to manufacturing quality instead of engineering.
There is a major gap that exists in India: the lack of a lemon law. There is no dedicated, sector-specific accountability framework to address issues that consumers face with faulty products, either due to manufacturing defects or due to service deficiencies.
A product that develops many problems, often unsolvable, in early ownership, is called a Lemon. In many countries abroad, there is a Lemon law that safeguards the consumer against such products.
The ‘lemon laws’ that give customers the option of a full refund in cases where they have been sold a ‘lemon’. In India, such laws don’t exist, leaving customers at the mercy of the manufacturers and the after sales network.
Manufacturers routinely ask the customer to claim warranty, even in case of persistent problems that result in the vehicle remaining out of service for months, if not years. Therefore, a dedicated ‘lemon law’ for India would protect consumers.
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