A test drive around a showroom may feel pleasant. The road is usually smooth, and you may spend half the time listening to the salesperson. Try to drive somewhere that resembles your normal journey instead.
Before booking, ask whether the dealer can take you on a route with one thing you deal with often: a steep start, a narrow parking ramp, a broken street or slow traffic with the air conditioning on. You do not need to put the car through an obstacle course. You need to know whether it works for your day.
Start with the people who will use it
Set the driver's seat and mirrors yourself. Can you see the front corners and the traffic behind you? Try reversing with the camera, but also look through the rear window. If older family members will ride in the car, ask them to get in and out and sit in the back. Bring the child seat or luggage you use often if the dealer allows it.
Check the boot with the seats in their usual position. A figure on a specification sheet cannot tell you whether your suitcase fits under the parcel shelf.
Try a hill and a tight turn
On a safe route, stop and start on a slope. Notice how the car responds at low speed. On the way down, try the regenerative braking setting you would use every day. Regenerative braking slows the car and returns some energy to the battery, but you still need the brake pedal.
If your parking ramp is a concern, ask to try it with the dealer's permission. Drive slowly and listen for scraping. Published ground clearance cannot tell you how the front or rear of the car will behave on your particular ramp.
Tata Motors Nepal publishes both a certified range and a range from its Nepal-market testing for the Punch EV. The figures differ. A short test drive cannot prove either one, but it can show whether the car feels comfortable on roads you know.
Finish at the charging socket
Ask the dealer to open the charging flap and show you the cable supplied with the car. Which public fast-charging plug does this Nepal-market version use? Which app or payment method will you need? If there is a working charger nearby, ask for a short demonstration.
Afterward, write down what bothered you: perhaps a blind spot, a low bumper, a rear seat that is too tight, or an awkward charging port. These are easier to remember before you have paid a deposit.