Tata Safari EV: Seven Seats, 80 kWh and a January Date?

EVGyan render (AI-generated, representational)

The Tata Safari EV launch is now expected in January 2027, according to Rushlane, and CarToq points to the same month. It will be Tata's first EV with a third row of seats. Tata hasn't announced a date or specs yet, so everything below is what the industry expects, not what Tata has confirmed.

If January sounds late, it is. Back in June, Autocar India reported that the Safari EV was planned for the 2026 festive season. Tata recently said its EV supply is still catching up with demand, so a few extra months to get production right is a fair trade.

What's under the skin

The Safari EV will use the same acti.ev+ platform as the Harrier EV. Think of it as a Harrier EV with a longer body and one more row. Expect both 6-seat and 7-seat versions.

The Harrier EV's 65 kWh and 75 kWh packs should carry over. Rushlane and CarToq also report a bigger 80 kWh pack for the top trims, which would be the largest battery Tata has ever put in a car.

For reference, here's what the Harrier EV's 75 kWh pack does today:

• RWD: 238 PS, 315 Nm, 627 km claimed range
• AWD (QWD): 158 PS front + 238 PS rear motor, 504 Nm, 622 km claimed range

The Safari is heavier, so treat these as the upper limit. The 80 kWh pack would win some range back.

Inside, the Safari EV is expected to get the three-screen dashboard from the Sierra EV, plus the Harrier EV's kit: ventilated front seats, panoramic sunroof, 540-degree camera and Level 2 ADAS.

Who it has to beat

• Mahindra XEV 9S: up to 79 kWh, 679 km claimed, starts around Rs 20 lakh, RWD only
• MG Hector Tomahawk EV: 69.2 kWh, 517 km claimed, Rs 19.49 lakh (Rs 13.99 lakh with MG's battery rental plan), front motor only
• Tata Safari EV (expected): up to 80 kWh, RWD and AWD, roughly Rs 20-32 lakh

On price, Rushlane expects an introductory start near Rs 20 lakh, going up to Rs 30-32 lakh at the top. Carlelo pegs it at Rs 22-32 lakh. With the Harrier EV starting a little under Rs 22 lakh, we'd expect the Safari EV closer to the higher number.

The EVGyan take

The Harrier EV's motors, batteries and software have been on Indian roads since mid-2025. The Safari EV mainly has to fit that hardware into a three-row body without losing too much range. That's a much safer bet than a brand-new platform.

What this means for you: if you need seven seats and want to buy now, the XEV 9S and Tomahawk EV are already in showrooms. If you can wait till January, the Safari EV is the only one of the three expected to offer all-wheel drive and the biggest battery. Families who do a lot of highway trips should wait for the official range figure of the 80 kWh version before booking anything.

Correction (31 Oct 2026): An earlier version of this article said Autocar India's festive-season timeline report was from March. It was published on 1 June 2026.