Prior to Mahindra XUV300, it was Tata Nexon that held the title of being the safest passenger vehicle in India
Higher safety standards in vehicle is the focus both of the Government and automakers. As compared to earlier buyer preferences, now there is more impetus given to safety of vehicles on sale in the country. Safety rating now being higher on the priority list of most buyers, it is this that has caused automakers in India to introduce better and more improved safety features in their newer launches.
Vehicles as per the Global NCAP are rated from 0 to 5 and are based on safety features with a higher rating considered safer for occupants. Over the last few years, safety of cars on sale in India has improved dramatically. All cars in the top 10 list have a safety rating of atleast 4 star or above.
As per the crash tests carried out by UK-based Global New Car Assessment Program (Global NCAP), the made-in-India Mahindra XUV300 is rated as the safest vehicle with a 5 star rating. The Tata Altroz and Nexon followed in quick succession. Global NCAP assessment is carried out based on front offset crash tests as against the Euro NCAP under which tests are conducted on front offset, side-impact, side pole, full frontal and various other factors.
Mahindra XUV300 Leads
The XUV300, launched in Feb 2019, has been rated as the safest car with a solid 5 star rating in Global NCAP under the #SaferCarsForIndia campaign. Scoring 5 stars or 16.42 points out of 17 in adult safety and 4 stars or 37.44 points out of 49 in child occupant safety, the XUV300 at No.1 on this list, saw its body shell structure rated stable.
The XUV300 comes in with dual front airbags on base models while top spec variants get 7 airbags. Its safety list also includes seat belt reminder, seat pre-tensioners, rear parking sensors, hill start assist, four disc brakes, rear parking camera and ABS and EBD.
Tata Cars – Altroz, Nexon, Tiago, Tigor
Tata Altroz earned a 5 star rating in adult occupancy and 3 stars in child safety standards. Scoring 16.13 points out of 17 in adult occupant protection and 29 points out of 49 in child occupant protection, the Altroz became the 2nd car in India to gain the Global NCAP 5 star rating. Safety standards are offered across all variants of the Altroz hatchback.
The first car in the Indian market to score a 5 star safety rating was the Nexon. It tied with the Altroz with 5 star rating in adult occupancy and 3 stars in child safety standards. The crossover scored 16.06 on 17 in adult safety and 25 out of 49 in child safety and like the Altroz is also offered with dual front airbags across all variants.
At No. 5 on the list of top 10 safest cars in India were the Tata Tiago and Tigor, near identical vehicles. Both scored 4 stars (12.52/17) in adult safety and 3 stars (34.15/49) in child safety ratings. The Tata Tiago facelift was launched last year and it is this vehicle that was put to the crash test. Both cars from Tata offer two airbags as standard.
More Mahindra Cars – Thar, Marazzo
New gen Thar achieved four stars for adult and child occupant protection as per tests conducted by Global NCAP. The tests found that adult knee area was optimized to reduce injuries while child occupants received full protection due to inclusion of standard ISOFIX anchorages and top tether along with 3 point belts.
The Mahindra Marazzo MPV earned a 4 star (12.85/17) safety rating for adult protection and 2 star (22.22/49) safety rating for child occupants. It comes in with dual airbags across all trims and disc brakes on all four wheels.
Maruti Cars Enter Top 10 In Safety
Global NCAP awarded 4 star (12.51/17) rating to the Maruti Vitara Brezza in terms of adult occupant protection and a lower score of 2 stars (17.93/49) for child safety. Scoring 3 stars each in adult (9.25/17) and child (25.16/49), Maruti Ertiga manages decent sales numbers each month. The 7 seater MPV possess a body shell that was rated as unstable and unable to withstand loadings than the standard crash test speed of 64 km/h.
New Entrant – Renault Triber
The latest car to join this list, the Triber, based on the Kwid platform, is now the safest MPV to drive on Indian roads. It has achieved 4 stars in adult protection and 3 stars in child safety rating as per tests carried out by Global NCAP. The model tested came in with the most basic of safety specifications with twin air bags, seat belt reminder and ABS.