Looking for the best mutual funds to invest in? Find out the top schemes in India on the basis of their 3- and 5-year returns.
Mutual funds are fast becoming a preferred investment option for many investors. Data by Association of Mutual Funds in India has shown that the amount collected through SIPs in February 2019 totalled Rs. 8,095 crores. For retail investors (individual investors), MFs are a great way to invest, since they allow for risk diversification, liquidity and offer the benefit of professional management by fund managers.
Now, considering that there are numerous fund houses in India, offering different investment plans, one can find it difficult to determine which would be the right scheme to park money in. To simplify this task, we have listed some of the top performing mutual funds in the country, on the basis of 3 year and 5-year returns.
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| JM Core 11 Fund | 20.80 |
| Reliance ETF NV20 | 17.45 |
| HDFC Top 100 Fund | 17.06 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Mirae Asset Emerging Bluechip Fund - Regular Plan | 20.97 |
| Canara Robeco Emerging Equities Fund - Regular Plan | 18.19 |
| Principal Emerging Bluechip Fund | 16.86 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Mirae Asset India Equity Fund - Regular Plan | 17.74 |
| Axis Focused 25 Fund | 16.96 |
| Tata Retirement Savings Fund - Progressive Plan - Regular Plan | 16.76 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| L&T Midcap Fund | 17.42 |
| Axis Midcap Fund | 16.57 |
| Taurus Discovery (Midcap) Fund - Regular Plan | 16.10 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| L&T Emerging Businesses Fund | 20.75 |
| HDFC Small Cap Fund - Regular Plan | 20.55 |
| Reliance Small Cap Fund | 17.81 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Tata Equity PE Fund - Regular Plan | 18.25 |
| Invesco India Contra Fund | 17.81 |
| Kotak India EQ Contra Fund - Regular Plan | 16.82 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Mirae Asset Tax Saver Fund - Regular Plan | 21.53 |
| Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund - Regular Plan | 17.00 |
| HDFC Long Term Advantage Fund | 16.42 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| SBI Magnum Income Fund | 7.88 |
| ICICI Prudential Debt Management Fund | 7.86 |
| ICICI Prudential Bond Fund - Institutional Plan | 7.19 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Franklin India Income Opportunities Fund | 9.20 |
| SBI Magnum Medium Duration Fund | 9.07 |
| Axis Strategic Bond Fund | 8.55 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Franklin India Short Term Income Plan - Institutional Plan | 9.90 |
| Franklin India Short Term Income Plan - Retail Plan | 9.47 |
| Baroda Short Term Bond Fund | 8.10 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund - Super Institutional Plan | 8.97 |
| Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund - Institutional Plan | 8.65 |
| Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund - Retail Plan | 8.43 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Essel Liquid Fund | 7.27 |
| Baroda Liquid Fund | 7.25 |
| DHFL Pramerica Insta Cash Fund | 7.23 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Essel Liquid Fund | 7.27 |
| Baroda Liquid Fund | 7.25 |
| DHFL Pramerica Insta Cash Fund | 7.23 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| L&T Money Market Fund | 8.01 |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life Money Manager Fund - Retail Plan | 7.50 |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life Money Manager Fund | 7.49 |
| Fund Name | 3-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Principal Hybrid Equity Fund | 16.36 |
| HDFC Retirement Savings Fund - Hybrid Equity Plan - Regular Plan | 15.74 |
| Tata Retirement Savings Fund - Moderate Plan - Regular Plan | 14.97 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| JM Core 11 Fund | 17.42 |
| Reliance Large Cap Inst | 17.03 |
| Reliance ETF Junior BeES | 16.83 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Mirae Asset Emerging Bluechip Fund - Regular Plan | 25.48 |
| Canara Robeco Emerging Equities Fund - Regular Plan | 24.91 |
| Principal Emerging Bluechip Fund | 21.14 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| SBI Focused Equity Fund | 18.72 |
| Kotak Standard Multicap Fund Regular Plan | 18.65 |
| Quant Active Fund | 18.57 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Kotak Emerging Equity Scheme Regular Plan | 22.69 |
| L&T Midcap Fund | 22.52 |
| DSP Midcap Fund - Regular Plan | 20.59 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| SBI Small Cap Fund | 27.81 |
| Reliance Small Cap Fund | 24.89 |
| Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund | 20.58 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Quant Tax Plan | 20.12 |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life Tax Relief 96 | 18.36 |
| Tata India Tax Savings Fund | 18.22 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| ICICI Prudential Debt Management Fund | 9.35 |
| ICICI Prudential Bond Fund - Institutional Plan | 8.79 |
| SBI Magnum Income Fund | 8.43 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| SBI Magnum Medium Duration Fund | 9.95 |
| Axis Strategic Bond Fund | 9.39 |
| Franklin India Income Opportunities Fund | 9.09 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Franklin India Short Term Income Plan - Institutional Plan | 9.63 |
| Franklin India Short Term Income Plan - Retail Plan | 9.21 |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life Short Term Opportunities Fund | 8.49 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund - Super Institutional Plan | 9.27 |
| Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund - Institutional Plan | 8.91 |
| Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund - Retail Plan | 8.69 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Franklin India Liquid Fund - Super Institutional Plan | 7.83 |
| Essel Liquid Fund | 7.81 |
| JM Liquid Fund | 7.79 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| L&T Money Market Fund | 8.15 |
| Invesco India Money Market Fund | 7.96 |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life Money Manager Fund | 7.94 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Reliance Gilt Securities Fund Institutional | 10.49 |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life Government Securities Fund | 10.38 |
| Reliance Gilt Securities Fund | 10.38 |
| Fund Name | 5-Year Return (%) |
|---|---|
| Tata Retirement Savings Fund - Moderate Plan - Regular Plan | 18.50 |
| HDFC Hybrid Equity Fund | 16.02 |
| Canara Robeco Equity Hybrid Fund - Regular Plan | 15.25 |
In recent times, the Securities and Exchange Board of India has been taking measures to lower mutual fund expense and make the structure more transparent. As a result, the cost of direct and regular investment plans has come down, which is good news for investors as lower costs would mean better returns over the long term.
According to an article by the Economic Times, direct investment plans of some schemes have seen expenses being reduced by up to 100 basis points. Some have witnessed more than a 50% cut in expense in October 2018, compared to that of the earlier month. The rule changes are being applauded by investors, considering that actively managed funds would now be available at very affordable rates.
Recommended Read: How will I Make Right Mutual Funds Investment?
