What are the top performing Equity Savings funds?

Based on 1-year returns, the top performing Equity Savings funds are HSBC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 11.49% return, WhiteOak Capital Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 8.46% return, and Edelweiss Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 7.21% return. The category average 1-year return is 3.86%.

Which Equity Savings funds have given the best returns over 3 years?

Over a 3-year period, the best performing Equity Savings funds are HSBC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with a 13.92% CAGR, WhiteOak Capital Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 11.56% CAGR, and Edelweiss Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 11.04% CAGR. The category average 3-year return stands at 9.59% CAGR.

Which Equity Savings funds have given the best returns over 5 years?

Over a 5-year period, the top Equity Savings funds are HSBC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with a 11.89% CAGR, WhiteOak Capital Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 10.52% CAGR, and Edelweiss Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 10.12% CAGR. The category average 5-year return is 8.72% CAGR.

Which are the best Equity Savings funds for SIP investment?

Based on average 5-year rolling returns, the best Equity Savings funds for SIP are Mahindra Manulife Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 5-year average rolling return of 12.01%, Sundaram Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 10.81%, and HDFC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with 10.74%. You can start a SIP in Equity Savings funds with as little as ₹99 per month.

What are the largest Equity Savings mutual funds by assets?

The largest Equity Savings funds by Assets Under Management (AUM) are ICICI Prudential Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with ₹ 16,868.10 crore, Kotak Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with ₹ 10,031.60 crore, and HDFC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan with ₹ 5,718.18 crore. Together, there are 26 Equity Savings funds available in India.

What is the minimum amount to invest in Equity Savings funds?

You can start investing in Equity Savings funds with a minimum SIP of ₹99 per month or a minimum lumpsum of ₹100. The minimum investment varies across fund houses — some funds allow even lower entry points.

How are Equity Savings fund returns taxed?

Gains from Equity Savings funds held for less than 12 months are taxed at 20% (Short-Term Capital Gains). Gains on units held for 12 months or more are taxed at 12.5% (Long-Term Capital Gains), with ₹1.25 lakh per year being exempt per financial year. Dividends (IDCW) are taxed at your applicable income tax slab rate.

Which Equity Savings funds have the lowest expense ratio?

Among Equity Savings funds, Bandhan Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has the lowest expense ratio at 0.17% (Direct Plan), followed by Bajaj Finserv Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan at 0.33%. Lower expense ratios directly improve your net returns over the long term.

How many Equity Savings mutual funds are available in India?

There are currently 26 Equity Savings mutual funds available in India across different fund houses. You can compare all 26 funds on Sharpely based on returns, risk, AUM, and expense ratio to find the one that suits your investment goals.

mutual funds category

Equity Savings

Equity Savings Funds

Equity savings funds invest in equity, debt, and arbitrage instruments. According to the SEBI guidelines, equity saving funds must invest a minimum of 65% in equity instruments and a minimum of 10% in debt instruments.

Total Schemes

No. of schemes

Total AUM

₹ 0.53Lakh Cr

As on latest

Category Return (5Y)

8.72 %

CAGR

Benchmark Data

This category currently has no benchmark assigned.

Category Returns (%)

Period	1M	6M	1Y	3Y CAGR	5Y CAGR	10Y CAGR	YTD
Equity Savings	-0.15 %	-0.30 %	3.86 %	9.59 %	8.72 %	9.11 %	-0.41 %
Benchmark Not Available No benchmark assigned	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Top Equity Savings Funds (by AUM)

Fund Name	AUM (₹ Cr)	1Y Return	3Y CAGR	5Y CAGR	Expense Ratio
ICICI Prudential Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹24.66	16,868.10 Cr	2.95%	7.77%	7.68%	0.50%
Kotak Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹29.76	10,031.60 Cr	5.41%	11.04%	10.52%	0.68%
HDFC Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹74.75	5,718.18 Cr	2.23%	9.43%	9.08%	0.94%
SBI Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹26.93	5,699.99 Cr	3.17%	10.23%	8.89%	0.94%
DSP Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹24.77	3,541.41 Cr	1.96%	9.48%	8.67%	0.75%
Mirae Asset Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹22.34	1,918.36 Cr	4.50%	10.89%	9.78%	0.36%
Edelweiss Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹29.30	1,313.18 Cr	7.21%	11.56%	10.12%	0.70%
Aditya Birla Sun Life Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹25.36	1,087.37 Cr	5.24%	8.89%	7.56%	0.53%
Sundaram Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹81.83	1,079.02 Cr	1.05%	10.74%	9.95%	0.75%
HSBC Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹40.09	904.50 Cr	11.49%	13.92%	11.89%	1.23%
Axis Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹25.56	865.88 Cr	3.11%	10.00%	8.84%	1.00%
Nippon India Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹17.99	853.22 Cr	3.11%	7.62%	7.72%	0.49%
UTI Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹19.94	820.50 Cr	3.48%	9.77%	9.44%	0.76%
Franklin India Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹18.35	633.17 Cr	3.55%	8.17%	7.96%	0.36%
Mahindra Manulife Equity Savings Fund - Direct PlanNAV: ₹24.75	531.15 Cr	4.97%	10.77%	9.64%	0.84%

About Equity Savings Funds

What is it?

Objective

The objective of the fund is to generate better returns than bank fixed deposits by investing in equity and debt and benefitting from arbitrage opportunities.

Suitability and opinion

These funds are suitable for conservative equity investors and first-time equity investors as these funds have lower volatility compared to pure equity funds and provide higher returns compared to pure debt funds. We believe that conservative equity investors can consider this category with the ideal time horizon of 3 or more years. But don't forget that as at least 65% of the fund assets are equity they carry higher risks compared to debt funds.

Equity Savings vs Other Categories

5Y CAGR Return Comparison

11.90%

9.77%

8.72%

8.45%

8.03%

Aggressive Hybrid

Dynamic Asset Allocation

Equity Savings

Balanced Hybrid

Conservative Hybrid

Key Insights

Equity Savings delivered 8.72% CAGR over the last 5 years.

It ranks #4 out of 7 categories based on 5Y performance.

Below the category average return of 9.76%.

3 categories outperform it, while 3 categories have lower returns.

Top performer: Multi Asset Allocation (14.99%).

Lowest performer: Arbitrage (6.44%).

Let's have a closer look

Now let us jump and check about these top 15 mutual fund schemes.

ICICI Prudential Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: ICICI Prudential Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 7.77% annualized returns in the past three years and 7.68% in the last 5 years. The ICICI Prudential Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in ICICI Prudential Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 5,000.00 and via SIP is ₹ 100.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 5,000.00

AUM

₹ 16,868.10Cr

1Y Returns

2.95%

Expense Ratio

0.50%

Kotak Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: Kotak Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 11.04% annualized returns in the past three years and 10.52% in the last 5 years. The Kotak Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in Kotak Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 100.00 and via SIP is ₹ 100.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 100.00

AUM

₹ 10,031.60Cr

1Y Returns

5.41%

Expense Ratio

0.68%

HDFC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: HDFC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 9.43% annualized returns in the past three years and 9.08% in the last 5 years. The HDFC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of HDFC Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in HDFC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 100.00 and via SIP is ₹ 100.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 100.00

AUM

₹ 5,718.18Cr

1Y Returns

2.23%

Expense Ratio

0.94%

SBI Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: SBI Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 10.23% annualized returns in the past three years and 8.89% in the last 5 years. The SBI Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of SBI Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in SBI Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 1,000.00 and via SIP is ₹ 500.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 1,000.00

AUM

₹ 5,699.99Cr

1Y Returns

3.17%

Expense Ratio

0.94%

DSP Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: DSP Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 9.48% annualized returns in the past three years and 8.67% in the last 5 years. The DSP Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of DSP Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in DSP Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 100.00 and via SIP is ₹ 100.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 100.00

AUM

₹ 3,541.41Cr

1Y Returns

1.96%

Expense Ratio

0.75%

Mirae Asset Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: Mirae Asset Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 10.89% annualized returns in the past three years and 9.78% in the last 5 years. The Mirae Asset Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of Mirae Asset Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in Mirae Asset Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 5,000.00 and via SIP is ₹ 99.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 5,000.00

AUM

₹ 1,918.36Cr

1Y Returns

4.50%

Expense Ratio

0.36%

Edelweiss Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: Edelweiss Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 11.56% annualized returns in the past three years and 10.12% in the last 5 years. The Edelweiss Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of Edelweiss Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in Edelweiss Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 100.00 and via SIP is ₹ 100.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 100.00

AUM

₹ 1,313.18Cr

1Y Returns

7.21%

Expense Ratio

0.70%

Aditya Birla Sun Life Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: Aditya Birla Sun Life Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 8.89% annualized returns in the past three years and 7.56% in the last 5 years. The Aditya Birla Sun Life Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in Aditya Birla Sun Life Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 1,000.00 and via SIP is ₹ 100.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 1,000.00

AUM

₹ 1,087.37Cr

1Y Returns

5.24%

Expense Ratio

0.53%

Sundaram Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: Sundaram Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 10.74% annualized returns in the past three years and 9.95% in the last 5 years. The Sundaram Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of Sundaram Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in Sundaram Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 100.00 and via SIP is ₹ 100.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 100.00

AUM

₹ 1,079.02Cr

1Y Returns

1.05%

Expense Ratio

0.75%

HSBC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: HSBC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 13.92% annualized returns in the past three years and 11.89% in the last 5 years. The HSBC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of HSBC Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in HSBC Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 5,000.00 and via SIP is ₹ 500.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 5,000.00

AUM

₹ 904.50Cr

1Y Returns

11.49%

Expense Ratio

1.23%

Axis Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: Axis Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 10.00% annualized returns in the past three years and 8.84% in the last 5 years. The Axis Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of Axis Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in Axis Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 500.00 and via SIP is ₹ 100.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 500.00

AUM

₹ 865.88Cr

1Y Returns

3.11%

Expense Ratio

1.00%

Nippon India Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: Nippon India Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 7.62% annualized returns in the past three years and 7.72% in the last 5 years. The Nippon India Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of Nippon India Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in Nippon India Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 5,000.00 and via SIP is ₹ 100.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 5,000.00

AUM

₹ 853.22Cr

1Y Returns

3.11%

Expense Ratio

0.49%

UTI Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: UTI Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 9.77% annualized returns in the past three years and 9.44% in the last 5 years. The UTI Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of UTI Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in UTI Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 5,000.00 and via SIP is ₹ 500.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 5,000.00

AUM

₹ 820.50Cr

1Y Returns

3.48%

Expense Ratio

0.76%

Franklin India Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: Franklin India Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 8.17% annualized returns in the past three years and 7.96% in the last 5 years. The Franklin India Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in Franklin India Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 5,000.00 and via SIP is ₹ 500.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 5,000.00

AUM

₹ 633.17Cr

1Y Returns

3.55%

Expense Ratio

0.36%

Mahindra Manulife Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan

Fund Performance: Mahindra Manulife Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan has given 10.77% annualized returns in the past three years and 9.64% in the last 5 years. The Mahindra Manulife Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan comes under the Hybrid category of Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund.

Minimum Investment Amount: The minimum amount required to invest in Mahindra Manulife Equity Savings Fund - Direct Plan via lump sum is ₹ 1,000.00 and via SIP is ₹ 500.00.

Min Investment Amt

₹ 1,000.00

AUM

₹ 531.15Cr

1Y Returns

4.97%

Expense Ratio

0.84%