Compare the best Nifty 50 index funds in India — UTI, Nippon India, SBI, Kotak and ABSL Nifty 50 direct growth plans. Live NAV, returns, AAUM and tracking error from RightAdvise database. Find the best nifty index fund for direct growth investing.
Sorted by 5-year CAGR. Click any fund for full analysis — rolling returns, drawdown chart, NAV history and risk ratios.
If you had invested ₹1 lakh 5 years ago in each fund, here is how much it would be worth today. Calculated from 5 years of daily NAV in the RightAdvise database.
💡 What is AAUM? AAUM stands for Average Assets Under Management — the average value of all investor money a fund managed during a specific quarter. Reported to SEBI every quarter via AMFI. More reliable than a single-day AUM snapshot.
| Fund | NAV | AAUM | 1Y Return | 3Y CAGR | 5Y CAGR | 10Y CAGR | Max Drawdown | Sharpe (3Y) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nippon India Index Fund — Nifty 50 | ₹42.93 2026-06-05 | ₹3.1K Cr Jan–Mar 2026 | -4.1% | +9.2 % p.a. | +9.6 % p.a. | +12.0 % p.a. | -38.2% | 0.29 |
| UTI Nifty 50 Index Fund | ₹163.67 2026-06-05 | ₹26.0K Cr Jan–Mar 2026 | -4.2% | +9.2 % p.a. | +9.6 % p.a. | +12.1 % p.a. | -38.4% | 0.29 |
| SBI Nifty Index Fund | ₹217.51 2026-06-05 | ₹11.6K Cr Jan–Mar 2026 | -4.2% | +9.1 % p.a. | +9.5 % p.a. | +12.0 % p.a. | -38.4% | 0.26 |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life Nifty 50 Index Fund | ₹242.90 2026-06-05 | ₹1.2K Cr Jan–Mar 2026 | -4.2% | +9.2 % p.a. | +9.5 % p.a. | +11.7 % p.a. | -37.6% | 0.29 |
| Kotak Nifty 50 Index Fund | ₹15.45 2026-06-05 | ₹1.0K Cr Jan–Mar 2026 | -4.1% | +9.1 % p.a. | — | — | -16.5% | 0.28 |
As per SEBI, Index Funds are passively managed schemes that replicate a specific market index. These funds hold all 50 stocks of the Nifty 50 in the same proportion as the index. There is no active stock selection. The fund's job is to minimise the difference between its returns and the index returns — this difference is called tracking error.
A Nifty 50 index fund does not try to beat the market — it tries to be the market. It holds all 50 companies in the Nifty 50 in exactly the same weights as the index. This mechanical replication means the fund's returns closely mirror the Nifty 50 — minus a small cost called the expense ratio and tracking error. The best nifty 50 index fund direct growth plans in India charge just 0.1 to 0.2% per year — making them the most cost-efficient way to invest in Indian equities.
If you are searching for the best index fund in India or the best nifty index fund for a direct growth plan, the five funds on this page — UTI Nifty 50 Index Fund, Nippon India Index Fund Nifty 50, SBI Nifty Index Fund, Kotak Nifty 50 Index Fund and ABSL Nifty 50 Index Fund — are among the most established index funds in India. When comparing index funds, two metrics matter most: tracking error (lower is better) and expense ratio (lower is better). All other things being equal, the fund that most closely replicates the index at the lowest cost wins.
Should you invest in a Nifty 50 index fund or an actively managed large cap fund? Research consistently shows that over 10+ year periods, a significant majority of active large cap funds in India fail to beat the Nifty 50 index after accounting for their higher expense ratios (0.5 to 1.0% vs 0.1 to 0.2%). That said, some active funds have consistently outperformed. The honest answer: if you are unsure, a low-cost Nifty 50 index fund is a very strong default for large cap equity exposure.
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