The Indian automobile sector and the government policies have come a long way when it comes to building safer cars in India. What is interesting to note is that the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) started the #SaferCarsForIndia campaign in 2014, highlighting the adoption of safer vehicles through crash testing. Based on Global NCAP tests, we list the top five safest vehicles in India, which include a range of SUVs and sedans. Does your car break into our list? Find out.
Tata Motors’ fullsized SUVs, the Safari and the Harrier, have achieved the highest Global NCAP score for a vehicle from India. Both SUVs are based on the same platform and are the safest vehicles in India for adult and child occupant safety due to their stable structure and robust restraint systems. In adult occupant protection, they scored 33.05 points out of 34 and 45 points out of 49 in child occupant protection. The SUVs come standard with six airbags, ESP, Hill Hold Control, Traction Control, ABS with EBD, Roll Over Mitigation, and a Brake Disc Wiping feature.
Nissan has shocked everyone with the Magnite, as it received a 5star safety rating from Global NCAP. Nissan has been relentless in increasing its SUV’s safety credentials, as it scored a 2star rating on its first attempt when it only offered two airbags. Later on, the updated version with six airbags was awarded 4 stars, and now the latest version topped the charts with all 5 stars. The Magnite scored a 5star rating for Adult Occupant Protection and 3 stars for Child Occupant Protection. The Nissan SUV earned 32.31 out of 34 points for adult safety and 33.64 out of 49 points for child safety. The latest version of the Magnite comes standard with six airbags and ESC.
The compact SUV from Tata Motors, the Nexon, has scored 5 stars since 2018, and the latest version continues to be built like Fort Knox. It is the safest sub4meter SUV in the Indian market. The Nexon earned 32.22 points out of 34 for Adult Occupant Protection and 44.92 out of 49 points for Child Occupant Protection. It comes packed with features like six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, a traction control system, Hill Hold Control, and brake disc wiping.
The newgeneration Dzire is the safest sedan in India and scored five stars for adult and four stars for child occupant safety. It scored 31.24 points out of 34 in the Adult Occupant Protection test and 39.20 out of 49 for the Child Occupant Protection test. The sedan is fitted with six airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), pedestrian protection, ESP, Hill Hold Assist, and ABS with EBD as standard. The Dzire is the first Maruti Suzuki to achieve a fivestar Global NCAP rating.
The Slavia and Virtus sedans have scored an identical score of five stars in both adult and child occupant protection. The two vehicles were awarded 29.71 points out of 34 in the Adult Occupant Protection test and 42 out of 49 in the Child Occupant Protection test. They are equipped with active safety features like Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Auto Hill Hold, six airbags, and threepoint seat belts for all five occupants.
