List Of Top Safest SUVs & Cars In India | India Ki Sabse Safe Cars

Introduction

Safety features are those things that are divided into two categories Active and Passive. The active safety features are those which help you avoid an accident while the passive safety features are those which protect you from injuries after you have been involved in an accident. Best examples of active safety features are an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Brake Assist (BA), Electronic Stability Control or Electronic Stability Program (ESC / ESP), etc. While the best examples of passive safety features are seatbelts, airbags, crumple zones, etc. 

(Courtesy: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Why are safety features necessary in your car?

India is a populous country with a population of 138 crores as of 2020 (as per Google data) and is expected to surpass that of China in the coming years to become the most populated country in the world. With this growing population India has added nearly 30 lakhs passenger vehicles in 2017 and 2018 each and around 29, 24, and 30 lakhs in the year 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively. And as per the latest Road Ministry data, there were nearly 4.21 lakhs accidental deaths, 1.81 lakhs traffic incident deaths, and 1.51 lakh road accident deaths. These numbers will continue to rise further as we get more and more cars on road. Thus having a safe car is one of the most effective ways to keep the number in control and even reduce it. 

(For more data on road accidents in India you can visit- https://morth.nic.in/road-accident-in-india)

What is the government doing about this?

Well, our government isn’t exactly sitting back and doing nothing here. They have made a set of safety features that are mandatory on all cars purchased after the July of 2019. They also passed a new stringent crash test norm applicable on cars from October 2019. Starting with the mandatory safety features. The first one was the ABS or anti-lock braking system which was made mandatory on all vehicles made after April 2019. 

So what does this ABS do? ABS is a device that doesn’t let your wheels lock in case of panic braking. A locked tire will lose traction and skid freely on the road resulting in catastrophic accidents. What ABS does is that it rapidly releases and engages the brakes in a matter of milliseconds to avoid brakes getting locked. This lets the wheels have sufficient traction allowing the driver to maneuver the car and avoid hitting an obstacle.

(Working of ABS, Courtesy- Toyota Motor Corporation Australia)

The second mandatory safety feature was the dual airbag i.e. for both the driver as well as the passengers for most cars. While at least one airbag that is for the driver is mandatory on entry-level cars. The airbags are a restraining system that deploys in an event of a crash and protects the occupants from sustaining any major injuries. Although one must keep in mind that seatbelts should be worn as without seatbelts the airbags are powerful enough to cause injury to the occupants in front of it. 

The third mandatory safety system was the seat belt warning system with warning beeps and warning lights. The fourth mandatory safety system is the speed warning at 80 kmph and continuous beeps post 120 kmph. The above two safety measures came into effect after July 2019.

(Dual Airbags, Courtesy- Maruti Suzuki India Limited)

The fifth mandatory safety system is the rear parking sensors that will no longer be sold as an accessory but will come fitted as standard on all cars from July 2019. Rear parking sensors in the basic form give audible beeps based on the distance of the vehicle with the nearest obstacles. More advanced systems also give the distance left and which side in particular the obstacle is. The sixth mandatory safety system is the manual override for the central locking system allowing the passengers to individually unlock the door in case the central locking fails and locks the car.

(Global NCAP Logo, Courtesy- Global NCAP)

Apart from these safety measures, the Ministry of Road and Transport (MoRTH) has made the crash test norms more stringent for cars India manufactured after October 2019. These crash test norms have been mandated by the Bharat New Car Assessment Program or the Bharat NCAP. Under these norms, the cars are required to pass the full-frontal, side-impact, and front-offset impact crash test at speeds of 48 kmph, 50 kmph, and 56 kmph respectively. All the cars made before October 2017 will have till October 2019 to comply with this and those made after October 2017 are already in compliance with these norms.

So, what is Bharat NCAP, and since we are there what are Global NCAP and ASEAN NCAP?

All these NCAP agencies crash test the vehicles and based on their parameters give them a rating. Here NCAP stands for New Car Assessment Program while Bharat is India’s safety rating agency. The Global NCAP (the head agency) is a UK-registered charity with an aim towards making the world free from road fatalities and serious injuries. They support NCAPs in emerging markets like ones in the Asian region. Next comes the ASEAN NCAP, this entity was formed in December 2011 and is a collaboration between the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and Global NCAP. While Bharat NCAP, just like the ASEAN NCAP, is an initiative by the Government of India and ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) made to test and assess the safety of Indian cars.

List of the safest cars in India:

The below list consists of the cars that have been tested and rated by the Global NCAP. The only exception here is the Nissan Magnite / Renault Kiger which has been crash-tested by the ASEAN NCAP and thus we have mentioned it in the end. The arrangement is done based on the ‘Adult Score’ with the car that got the highest adult score is on the number one position and the next highest number two and so forth. As for the Bharat NCAP, all the cars made after October 2017 in India are compliant with its safety norm. 

(Note: Cars considered in the list are on sale as of this writing.)

So how come these cars have been passed by the Bharat NCAP and got low ratings in the Global NCAP?

The answer to this lies in the speed at which the crash test is conducted. The Bharat NCAP conducts its crash tests at the speed of 48 kmph, 50 kmph, and 56 kmph respectively for full-frontal, side-impact, and front-offset impact crash tests. While the Global NCAP does the same tests at 64 kmph thus in a way the Global NCAP crash test norms are more stringent than the Bharat NCAP as of this writing. 

Sr. No.	Car Name	Adult Score (Out of 17.00)	Child Score (Out of 49.00)	Stable / Unstable
1	Tata Punch *****	16.45	40.89
2	Mahindra XUV 300 *****	16.42	37.44
3	Tata Altroz *****	16.13	29.00
4	Tata Nexon *****	16.06	25.00
5	Mahindra XUV 700 *****	16.03	41.66
6	Honda Jazz ****	13.89	31.54
7	Mahindra Marazzo ****	12.85	22.22
8	VW Polo ****	12.54	29.91
9	Mahindra Thar ****	12.52	41.11
10	Tata Tiago/Tigor ****	12.52/12.00 (Tigor EV)	34.15/37.24 (Tigor EV)
11	Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza ****	12.51	17.93
12	Renault Kiger ****	12.34	21.05
13	Honda City ****	12.03	38.27
14	Nissan Magnite ****	11.85	24.88
15	Renault Triber ****	11.62	27.00
16	Maruti Suzuki Ertiga ***	9.25	25.16
17	Renault Duster ***	9.00	17.75
18	Datsun Redigo *	8.36	15.63
19	Renault Kwid *	8.28	10.91
20	Kia Seltos ***	8.03	15.00
21	Maruti Suzuki Swift **	7.08	16.23
22	Hyundai Grand i10 Nios **	7.05	15.00
23	Maruti Suzuki WagonR **	6.93	16.33
24	Hyundai Santro **	6.74	15.00
25	Maruti Suzuki Eeco (Zero Star)	1.13	24.20
26	Mahindra Scorpio (Zero Star)	0	16.73
27	Maruti Suzuki S-Presso (Zero Star)	0	13.84

 

List of top 5 safe cars with their details:

1). Tata Punch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Tata Punch, Courtesy- Tata Motors)

Price- 5.64 to 9.28 lakhs*

Mileage- 18.97 kmpl (manual), 18.82 kmpl (AMT)

Seats- 5

Boot Space- 366 liters

Engine options- 1199 cc (1.2-liter three-cylinder Revotron Petrol)

Gearbox- 5-speed manual (MT) and AMT (automatic)

Standard Safety Features- dual airbags, ABS+EBD, brake sway control, reverse parking sensors, ISOFIX child seat mounts, etc.

Optional Safety Features- reverse parking camera, cruise control, auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, front foglamps with cornering function, etc.

2). Mahindra XUV 300 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Mahindra XUV 300, Courtesy- Mahindra & Mahindra Limited)

Price- 8.16 to 13.67 lakhs*

Mileage- 17.0 kmpl (Petrol), 20.0 kmpl (Diesel)

Seats- 5

Boot Space- 259 liters

Engine options- 1197 cc (1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder), 1497 cc (1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel)

Gearbox- 6-speed manual (MT) and AMT (automatic)

Standard Safety Features- all four disc brakes, panic braking signal, dual airbags, ABS+EBD, cornering brake control, reverse parking sensors, ISOFIX child seat mounts, etc.

Optional Safety Features- reverse parking camera, auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, front parking sensors, hill start assist, rear defogger and wiper, etc.

3). Tata Altroz ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Tata Altroz, Courtesy- Tata Motors)

Price- 5.99 to 9.69 lakhs*

Mileage- 18.53 kmpl (petrol), 18.13 kmpl (tubro), 23.03 kmpl (diesel)

Seats- 5

Boot Space- 345 liters

Engine options- 1199 cc (1.2-liter three-cylinder Revotron Petrol), 1199 cc (1.2-liter three-cylinder turbocharged Revotron Petrol), and 1497 cc (1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged Revotorq Diesel)

Gearbox- 5-speed manual (MT)

Standard Safety Features- dual airbags, ABS+EBD, corner stability control, reverse parking sensors, reverse parking camera, ISOFIX child seat mounts, voice alerts, etc.

Optional Safety Features- auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, front foglamps with cornering function, rear foglamps, height-adjustable seatbelts, etc.

4). Tata Nexon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Tata Nexon, Courtesy- Tata Motors)

Price- 7.39 to 13.34 lakhs*

Mileage- 17.57 kmpl (petrol MT), 16.35 kmpl (petrol AMT), 21.19 kmpl (diesel MT), 22.07 kmpl (diesel AMT)

Seats- 5

Boot Space- 350 liters

Engine options- 1199 cc (1.2-liter three-cylinder turbocharged Revotron Petrol) and 1497 cc (1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged Revotorq Diesel)

Gearbox- 6-speed manual (MT) and AMT (automatic)

Standard Safety Features- dual airbags, ABS+EBD, rollover mitigation, emergency brake assist, hill hold control, brake disc wiping, electronic brake pre-fill, reverse parking sensors with rear camera, ISOFIX child seat mounts, etc.

Optional Safety Features- auto headlamps, height-adjustable seatbelts, rain-sensing wipers, tire pressure monitoring system, etc.

5). Mahindra XUV 700 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Mahindra XUV 700, Courtesy- Mahindra & Mahindra Limited)

Price- 12.95 to 23.79 lakhs*

Mileage- 14 kmpl (petrol MT), 13 kmpl (petrol AT), 16 kmpl (diesel MT), 15 kmpl (diesel AT)

Seats- 5 to 7

Boot Space- N/A

Engine options- 1999 cc (2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol), 2198 cc (2.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel)

Gearbox- 6-speed manual (MT) and 6-speed automatic (AT)

Standard Safety Features- dual airbags, ABS+EBD, reverse parking sensors, ISOFIX child seat mounts, etc.

Optional Safety Features- cornering foglamps, adaptive headlights, curtain airbags, tire pressure monitoring system, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, rain-sensing wipers, reverse parking camera, knee airbags, blind view monitor, 360-degree parking camera, etc.

(*all prices are ex-showroom Mumbai)

We hope this post was able to provide better clarity on the topic. Till then, if you liked what you read then don't forget to share this post with your family and friends. And if you have any feedback or suggestion you can write us at contact@anantraj.co.in.