Small SUVs are now more popular than ever and manufacturers haven’t skimped on safety
With the changing times and technologies in the automotive industry, people’s expectations of their vehicles have also changed. A country obsessed with fuel efficiency and resale value is now considering other options while buying cars, such as design, performance and features.
Another aspect that has become decisive in a car buying experience is safety ratings. It is one of those reasons which has made homegrown carmakers like Tata Motors and Mahindra got immense success in recent times. These are the two passenger vehicle makers keenly focusing on introducing safer cars for India.
In recent times, many locally-produced cars and SUVs were by the Global NCAP in its crash tests. While some examples have put up dismal results in the crash tests, some have given us reasons to feel safer on the roads.
Which cars are on this list?
All the cars in this list are tested by Global NCAP
All the cars on sale in India meet the safety regulations laid out by the government of India. But, we have included the cars that are tested by Global N-CAP. The testing agency uses international standards to test the cars on various parameters. If you want to know more about how Global N-CAP tests the vehicles, you can watch the video by clicking here.
Safest compact SUV in India
The safest made-in-India car is from the compact SUV segment
Currently, the safest compact SUV available in India goes to Tata Punch. Introduced towards the end of 2022, Tata Punch has posted the best results by an Indian passenger vehicle in the Global NCAP crash tests to date.
The Tata Punch faced a front offset deformable barrier test and a side impact test by the examining team of Global NCAP. In these tests, the Tata Punch scored 16.45 points out of 17 in the adult occupants’ safety – the highest score achieved by any Indian car to date. In addition, the Tata Punch also scored 40.89 points out of 49 in the child occupant safety condition. In these tests, the Global NCAP declared the overall body shell of the Tata Punch as stable and capable of withstanding further loadings.
The Tata Punch is available in India as a petrol-only sub-compact SUV, with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine as its standard powertrain. Available with both 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT gearbox choices, this engine produces a maximum power of 86 PS and a peak torque output of 113 Nm in the Punch.
List of safest compact SUVs in India
Apart from the Tata Punch, the other compact SUVs which have scored excellent in the Global NCAP crash tests and came out with flying colours as the safest compact SUVs in their results are as follows.
Mahindra XUV300
Before the test results of the Tata Punch, the Mahindra XUV300 was holding the record of the safest compact SUV with the best figures in the crash tests of Global NCAP. The sub-four-meter SUV from Mahindra scored 16.42 points out of 17 in adult occupant protection and 37.44 points out of 49 in child occupant protection.
Tata Nexon
There are other five-star rated cars in this segment
Before the Global NCAP body tested Mahindra XUV300, the Tata Nexon held the record of the only sub-four-metre SUV to secure a 5-star rating in the Global NCAP crash tests. The Tata Nexon achieved impressive scores with 16.06 points out of 17 in adult occupant protection and 25 out of 49 points in child occupant protection.
Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
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Maruti Suzuki is often criticized for making light-weighted cars and not focusing on safety while engineering its products. However, this notion was proven wrong with the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza when it scored a praiseworthy 4-star rating in the Global NCAP crash tests. The sub-four-meter SUV from Maruti Suzuki secured 12.51 points out of 17 in adult occupant protection and 17.93 points out of 49 in child occupant protection.
Renault Kiger
The Indian cars have become much safer than before
Renault has carried forward the momentum of making safer cars with the Kiger, which began with the Triber MPV. The swanky-looking sub-compact SUV from Renault scored 12.34 points out of 17 in adult occupant protection and 21.05 out of 49 in child occupant protection.
Nissan Magnite
New cars and govt regulations have made the cars much safer than before
Close on the results of its sibling from Renault with which it shares its platform, the Nissan Magnite also scored well in the crash tests conducted by Global NCAP. This bestseller from Nissan in India scored 11.85 out of 17 in adult occupant protection and 24.88 out of 49 in child occupant protection.
In addition to these three compact SUVs, the Mahindra Thar has also scored a commendable 4-star rating, with 12.52 points out of 17 in adult occupant protection and 41.11 points out of 49 in child occupant protection. However, while the dimensions of the Thar are similar to that of a compact SUV, its size and big-capacity engine options classify it in an altogether different league.
5-Star-rated compact SUVs in India
The Tata Nexon was the first-ever locally-produced SUV from India to score a commendable 5-star rating in the Global NCAP crash test results. Mahindra stood up and took notice of this achievement, which motivated it to produce better scores than Nexon with its XUV300. The Mahindra XUV300 was the second SUV to score a 5-star rating in the Global NCAP crash tests.
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The supremacy of both these compact SUVs in the Global NCAP crash tests remained unchallenged for a long time until the Tata Punch came. The score of the Punch surpassed both of them by posting better scores in the tests. Soon after the results of the tests came, the Tata Punch became the third SUV to achieve a 5-star rating. The excellent test results made it the safest car in India with the best adult occupant protection score.
Including the Mahindra XUV300, which is the second safest car in the country
The only other non-compact SUV to make its way in this elite club of SUVs with a 5-star rating in the Global NCAP results is the Mahindra XUV700. This new-age midsize SUV from Mahindra scored 16.03 points out of 17 in adult occupant protection and 41.66 out of 49 in child occupant protection. These scores earned it the coveted 5-star rating.
Unsafe compact SUVs in India
There is a reason why Maruti Suzuki is criticized heavily on social media platforms for its below-average build quality and safety levels. A majority of the high-selling models from Maruti Suzuki have fared poorly in the crash tests of Global NCAP by scoring dismal figures in both adult and child occupant protection.
The most unsafe car in India to date, as tested by Global NCAP, is the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso. This quirky little entry-level car from India’s largest carmaker scored 0 points out of 17 in adult occupant protection and 13.84 points out of 49 in child occupant protection, thus earning it a 0-star rating.
The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso is not the only 0-star rated Maruti Suzuki car in the Global NCAP crash tests. Other popular models like Alto and Eeco also scored the same rating. In addition, other popular models like Mahindra Scorpio and Datsun Go also failed on the expectation by posting 0-star ratings.
Some other locally-manufactured cars in India scored dismal 1-star and 2-star ratings in the Global NCAP crash tests. While the platform-sharing siblings Datsun Redi-GO and Renault Kwid got 1-star ratings, a few other popular cars like Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, Maruti Suzuki Wagon R and Hyundai Santro posted 2-star ratings in the Global NCAP crash tests.
The credit of the growing focus on safety by Indian carmakers also goes to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. It is consistently working on improving the safety parameters in passenger cars. The governing body has introduced many norms in recent times, such as compulsory dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, reverse parking sensors, speed alert system at 80 km/h and 120 km/h marks.
Q&A
Which is the safest compact SUV in India?
Tata Punch is the safest compact SUV in India
Which is the safest compact SUV?
Tata Punch is the safest while Mahindra XUV300 and Tata Nexon take the second and third spots.
Which SUV has a 5-star rating?
Tata Nexon, Tata Punch and Mahindra XUV300 have five-star safety ratings in India
Which is the most unsafe car in India?
Maruti Suzuki S-Presso scored zero stars in Global NCAP tests and is considered as the unsafest compact SUV in India.
Keyword: Safest Compact SUV In India