Kia Carens CNG and Carens Clavis CNG Launched From ₹12.11 Lakh — India's First Factory-Fitted CNG Three-Row MPVs

Kia's First Factory-Fitted CNG Cars Are Three-Row MPVs

Kia India has launched factory-fitted CNG versions of the Carens and Carens Clavis, marking the company's entry into the CNG market and creating a new niche: CNG power in a three-row, seven-seat family MPV. Until now, buyers in this space had to rely on the Maruti Ertiga and XL6 or the Toyota Rumion. The Carens CNG is priced at ₹12.11 lakh in a single Premium (O) variant, while the Carens Clavis CNG comes in HTE and HTE (O) trims at ₹12.39 lakh and ₹13.35 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom, and each CNG variant carries a premium of roughly ₹1 lakh over its petrol-only equivalent.

Both MPVs use Kia's 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with a six-speed manual gearbox. In CNG mode the engine produces about 96 PS and 123 Nm, against 115 PS and 144 Nm in petrol mode. The CNG kit carries a 60-litre tank, and Kia has reworked the suspension, added 16-inch front disc brakes and recalibrated the engine for CNG. The third-row seat-back frame has been modified to preserve recline, the spare wheel is retained despite the tank, and a 4.2-inch colour TFT MID shows CNG distance-to-empty. Kia has not yet published an official km/kg figure for either model.

The launch matters because CNG is no longer a small-car-only fuel. Maruti's S-CNG volumes have been climbing every quarter, and Kia entering the segment with a seven-seater extends cheap running costs to joint families and fleet operators alike. It also puts direct pressure on the Ertiga-XL6 duopoly, which has owned the CNG MPV space until now.

What This Means For You

If you run a family MPV or a fleet cab with high monthly mileage, this is the cheapest-to-run three-row package Kia has ever offered. The trade-offs: no automatic option, no turbo-petrol or diesel on CNG trims, reduced boot space with all rows in use, and availability only in lower-spec variants. Higher trims and an automatic-CNG combo would have made the case irresistible.

(Sources: CarWale, CarDekho, Power On Wheel, 18 September 2026. Images: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.)