ELSS (Tax Saver) Funds Compared
Every elss (tax saver) mutual fund's 1, 3 and 5-year return, SIP return and record against the Nifty 500, ranked by a stated measure, from AMFI NAVs.
As of 30 Sep 2026, there are 37 elss (tax saver) funds with at least 3 years of NAVs. Over 5 years their direct plans returned a median 10.2% a year, against 8.7% for the Nifty 500 index; 23 of 30 beat it. The highest 5-year return was Motilal Oswal ELSS Tax Saver Fund at 16.8% a year.
All elss (tax saver) funds, ranked by 5-year return
| # | Fund | 1y | 3y | 5y | 10y | 5y regular | 5y SIP XIRR | Expense ratio (direct) | Beat index (rolling 3y) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motilal Oswal ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 9.5% | 20.6% | 16.8% | 17.0% | 15.5% | 18.6% | 0.95% | 42/50 |
| 2 | Quant ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 11.2% | 14.2% | 14.8% | 19.8% | 13.3% | 13.6% | 1.21% | 49/50 |
| 3 | SBI ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -4.2% | 12.2% | 13.9% | 13.7% | 13.1% | 11.5% | 1.25% | 50/50 |
| 4 | JM ELSS - Tax Saver Fund | 7.9% | 15.8% | 13.5% | 15.9% | 12.2% | 14.5% | 1.35% | 46/50 |
| 5 | HDFC ELSS - Tax Saver Fund | -7.0% | 11.6% | 13.1% | 12.8% | 12.4% | 10.4% | 1.21% | 48/50 |
| 6 | ITI ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 4.3% | 16.0% | 12.5% | — | 10.4% | 14.1% | 0.90% | 36/49 |
| 7 | Tata ELSS - Tax Saver Fund | 3.6% | 11.6% | 11.4% | 13.8% | 10.1% | 10.7% | 0.88% | 47/50 |
| 8 | Kotak ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 0.7% | 10.3% | 11.3% | 14.1% | 10.0% | 9.8% | 0.83% | 47/50 |
| 9 | Nippon India ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -0.5% | 11.3% | 11.1% | 10.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% | 1.13% | 45/50 |
| 10 | Bank Of India ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 3.6% | 11.5% | 11.1% | 16.0% | 9.9% | 10.8% | 1.10% | 50/50 |
| 11 | Edelweiss ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 2.8% | 12.3% | 11.1% | 12.9% | 9.3% | 10.6% | 0.93% | 41/50 |
| 12 | DSP ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -3.6% | 11.7% | 11.0% | 14.3% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 0.92% | 50/50 |
| 13 | Bandhan ELSS - Tax Saver Fund | 0.0% | 8.6% | 10.7% | 14.9% | 9.4% | 8.8% | 0.95% | 43/50 |
| 14 | Franklin India ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -5.4% | 9.4% | 10.6% | 12.3% | 9.7% | 8.4% | 1.15% | 49/50 |
| 15 | Taurus ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -0.1% | 10.3% | 10.4% | 12.7% | 9.6% | 9.7% | 2.05% | 26/50 |
| 16 | Mirae Asset ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -0.7% | 11.0% | 10.0% | 16.2% | 8.9% | 9.7% | 1.03% | 45/50 |
| 17 | Parag Parikh ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -9.5% | 8.0% | 10.0% | — | 8.7% | 7.3% | 0.65% | 42/50 |
| 18 | Union ELSS Tax Saver Fund (Formerly Union Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund | -0.6% | 9.6% | 9.7% | 12.6% | 8.8% | 9.0% | 1.74% | 40/50 |
| 19 | Canara Robeco ELSS - Tax Saver Fund | -1.0% | 10.5% | 9.4% | 14.5% | 8.1% | 8.7% | 0.70% | 36/50 |
| 20 | PGIM India ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -0.6% | 8.5% | 9.3% | 13.0% | 7.7% | 7.9% | 1.10% | 17/50 |
| 21 | Invesco India ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -0.7% | 11.5% | 9.3% | 13.6% | 8.0% | 9.9% | 1.20% | 25/50 |
| 22 | ICICI Prudential ELSS - Tax Saver Fund | -3.2% | 10.3% | 9.2% | 12.4% | 8.5% | 8.7% | 1.22% | 36/50 |
| 23 | Quantum ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -7.8% | 8.4% | 8.9% | 10.3% | 7.9% | 6.8% | 0.95% | 32/50 |
| 24 | LIC MF ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -3.9% | 9.1% | 8.5% | 12.0% | 7.3% | 7.9% | 1.29% | 15/50 |
| 25 | Mahindra Manulife ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -6.0% | 7.0% | 8.5% | — | 6.8% | 6.7% | 1.07% | 39/50 |
| 26 | Groww ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -6.8% | 8.1% | 7.8% | — | 6.0% | 6.1% | 1.50% | 13/50 |
| 27 | Aditya Birla Sun Life ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -2.0% | 9.7% | 7.3% | 10.2% | 6.4% | 7.9% | 1.09% | 9/50 |
| 28 | UTI ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -4.9% | 7.2% | 6.7% | 11.6% | 5.6% | 5.8% | 1.18% | 3/50 |
| 29 | Shriram ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -2.6% | 6.0% | 6.4% | — | 4.6% | 4.8% | 0.92% | 6/50 |
| 30 | Axis ELSS- Tax Saver Fund | -1.6% | 9.6% | 5.0% | 11.8% | 4.2% | 7.0% | 1.06% | 3/50 |
| — | Baroda BNP Paribas ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 2.8% | 14.0% | — | — | — | — | 1.28% | 20/20 |
| — | HSBC ELSS Tax saver Fund | 3.7% | 15.1% | — | — | — | — | 1.22% | 12/12 |
| — | Navi ELSS Tax Saver Nifty50 Index Fund | -7.3% | 5.8% | — | — | — | — | 0.24% | — |
| — | NJ ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -2.7% | 8.8% | — | — | — | — | 0.79% | — |
| — | Samco ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 3.0% | 3.7% | — | — | — | — | 2.11% | — |
| — | Sundaram ELSS Tax Saver Fund | -5.9% | 7.4% | — | — | — | — | 1.78% | 7/22 |
| — | WhiteOak Capital ELSS Tax Saver Fund | 3.1% | 15.3% | — | — | — | — | 0.87% | 13/13 |
Direct plans, Growth option, to 30 Sep 2026. Funds that closed or merged are not in AMFI's current list, so the category looks a little better than investors actually did (survivorship). Returns are yearly (CAGR) from AMFI month-end NAVs of the Growth option. An index's return is measured through a low-cost index fund's direct plan, so it is a little below the index itself. Past returns do not tell you what a fund will do next, and this is not a recommendation to buy or sell any fund. Other categories: all mutual fund categories.
How many elss (tax saver) funds beat the Nifty 500?
23 of the 30 funds with 5 years of history beat the Nifty 500 index (through a low-cost index fund) over 5 years. Compare any one fund with its index over every 3-year stretch on the mutual fund vs index fund page.
Key takeaways
Frequently asked questions
Which elss (tax saver) fund has given the highest returns?
Over the 5 years to 30 Sep 2026, Motilal Oswal ELSS Tax Saver Fund (direct plan) at 16.8% a year. Past returns do not predict future ones.
What is the average return of elss (tax saver) funds?
The median direct plan returned 10.2% a year over 5 years to 30 Sep 2026.
Do elss (tax saver) funds beat the index?
23 of 30 did over 5 years, before tax; an index fund is the low-cost alternative.