Very soon, all the cars sold in India will get the mandatory six airbags and these are the most affordable options
Since the beginning of 2022, all the passenger vehicles in India have started coming with dual front airbags as standard. However, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is upping the safety quotient by bringing in a norm to make side and curtain airbags as standard across all the variants of all the cars sold in India.
Six airbags to be made mandatory in cars
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently gave a green signal to a draft notification to increase the number of airbags in a car. All the passenger vehicles with a seating capacity of up to eight passengers will come with six airbags as standard. The notification was issued in January 2022, in which all the M1 category vehicles manufactured after 1st October 2022 will come with side and curtain airbags as standard, in addition to the current norm of dual front airbags offered as standard.
Most affordable models with six airbags on offer
While October is still some time away, the Indian carmakers have already started taking measures. Some of the most popular affordable mass-market cars have already started to offer six airbags, at least in their top-spec variants. Following are the ten most-affordable cars to offer six airbags
Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Six airbags in cars will soon become mandatory in India
The heavily-updated Maruti Suzuki Baleno arrived in February 2022. The new Baleno comes with a comprehensively updated interior, significant tweaks to the exterior and an upgraded petrol engine. The list of safety features is also revised, with the top-spec Zeta and Alpha variants now offering six airbags in both manual and AMT versions. Both the variants come powered by a 1.2-litre four-cylinder 90 PS engine, which comes with two transmission options 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT.
Toyota Glanza
Based on the Baleno, the Glanza also offers six airbags
Next on this list is the distant sibling of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the all-new Toyota Glanza. The heavily updated Toyota Glanza came to India on the sidelines of the updated Baleno. But this time, it gets a significantly-tweaked front profile, different looking alloy wheels and distinctive dual-tone upholstery for the interior. The Glanza comes with six airbags in G and V variants, which are equivalents of the Zeta and Alpha variants of the Baleno. Like in the Baleno, these two variants of the Glanza are also available with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder 90 PS engine with the transmission choices of 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT.
Hyundai i20
Did you know the Hyundai i20 is India’s first affordable hatchback to get six airbags?
The Hyundai i20 is the first-ever hatchback with six airbags in India. In the current third-generation version too, the Hyundai i20 is available with six airbags in the top-spec Asta (O) variant. This particular variant is available with three powertrain combinations – a 1.2-litre four-cylinder 83 PS petrol engine with a 5-speed manual and CVT gearbox options, a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 100 PS diesel engine with 6-speed manual and a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged 120 PS petrol engine with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic.
Kia Carens
And the Kia Carens offers six airbags as standard across the range
The Kia Carens has become the first vehicle in the mass-market category to feature six airbags as standard across its entire variant lineup. The Kia Carens has five variants on offer – Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus, and all these variants come with six airbags as standard.
The Kia Carens is on offer with three powertrain options – a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 115 PS petrol engine with a 6-speed manual, a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 115 PS diesel engine with a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox choices and a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged 140 PS petrol engine offered with both 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission options.
Hyundai Venue
Want to know all about them?
The Venue is the first attempt from Hyundai in the sub-compact SUV space, and it is one of the oldest SUVs here to offer six airbags. The side and curtain airbags are present only in the top-spec SX(O) variant of the Hyundai Venue. This variant comes with either a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged 120 PS petrol engine or a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 100 PS diesel engine. While the petrol engine in the SX(O) variant is available with a 6-speed iMT and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, the diesel engine comes only with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Mahindra XUV300
The Mahindra XUV300 proudly wears the badge of 5-star rating up its sleeve, though the sub-compact SUV from Mahindra is available with six airbags only in the top-spec W8(O) variant. The XUV300 was also available with a driver knee airbag, omitted only recently from the features list. The W8(O) variant of the Mahindra XUV300 is available with both a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged 110 PS petrol engine and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 115 PS diesel engine. This variant is on sale with both 6-speed manual and 6-speed AMT gearbox options with both powertrains.
Kia Sonet
There are many other affordable cars with six airbags
The Kia Sonet is the most affordable offering from the Korean carmaker, which comes with six airbags in the top-spec HTX+ and GTX+ variants. These variants are available with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged 120 PS petrol engine with a 6-speed iMT gearbox and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 100 PS diesel engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The range-topping GTX+ variant also has options of a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with the petrol engine and a 6-speed torque converter with the diesel engine as optional transmissions.
Hyundai Verna
The Hyundai Verna might have started feeling a bit dated in the company of Honda City and Skoda Slavia. But it continues to be a strong proposition with an extensive list of features, including six airbags in the top-spec SX(O) variant.
This variant of the Hyundai Verna is available with three engine options – a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 115 PS petrol engine with a 6-speed manual and CVT transmission choices, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 115 PS diesel engine with 6-speed manual and automatic gearbox options.
Honda City
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In the fifth-generation version, the Honda City has become much more premium than ever before. Though, like in the previous fourth-generation version, the six airbags are available only in the range-topping ZX variant. This variant is on sale with either of the two engine options – a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 121 PS petrol engine and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 100 PS diesel engine, both of which are available with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. The ZX petrol variant is also available with an optional CVT gearbox option.
Skoda Slavia
But which are the most affordable cars that are available in the market with six airbags?
Skoda has carried forward the baton of the Rapid sedan with its replacement model, the all-new Slavia. The Skoda Slavia is a bigger and more premium car over Rapid. Unlike the Rapid, it is also available with six airbags in the top-spec Style variant.
This variant is on sale with two turbocharged petrol engine options, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder 115 PS TSI petrol and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 150 PS TSI petrol. A 6-speed manual gearbox is standard in the Style variant. There are two optional automatic transmissions on offer – a 6-speed torque converter for the 1.0-litre petrol and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic for the 1.5-litre petrol engine.
Q&A
Are 6 airbags required?
Airbags greatly reduce the impact on the occupants, which reduces injuries in an accident.
Do all cars have 6 airbags?
At the moment, only a few cars offer six airbags and most of them are available with the top-end variants.
Does Tata Nexon have 6 airbags?
Tata Nexon only gets 2 airbags across the variants
Will Ertiga get 6 airbags?
No, the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga does not get six airbags. Two airbags are standard across the variants.
Is airbag mandatory for cars?
A minimum of dual front airbags are mandatory in all the cars on sale in India
Do you think the decision of offering six airbags as standard will impact the sales of passenger vehicles? Let us know in the comments below.
Keyword: Most Affordable Cars With 6 Airbags