Franklin India ELSS Tax Saver Fund - Direct - Growth

Franklin India ELSS Tax Saver Fund - Direct - Growth holds up reasonably well within the ELSS category, backed by a 4-star rating. Consistent 3-year performance combined with a strong rating makes this one of the more credible options in its space. TopFund's composite Health Score, which weighs rating, 3-year CAGR, expense ratio and fund size, puts it at 79/100.

Cost: At 1.16%, the expense ratio runs 15% above the ELSS category average of 1.01%. That gap is worth weighing against the fund's actual performance versus cheaper peers before committing to a long SIP.

Risk-adjusted performance: Over the trailing 1-year period, the fund shows a negative Sharpe ratio of -0.66 — over the past year, returns haven't kept pace with the volatility involved, even before accounting for the risk-free rate. Separately, annualised volatility of 13.61% is fairly typical for actively managed equity funds.

Who should invest: This fund is best suited to investors looking to claim the ₹1.5 lakh Section 80C tax deduction, who are comfortable with the mandatory 3-year lock-in. The High risk rating means near-term volatility should be expected — this isn't a fund to check daily.