Kia Carens Scores 3-Star Safety Rating In Global NCAP Crash Test

Kia Carens Global NCAP crash test

Kia Carens has achieved 3-star ratings for both adult and child safety in GNCAP crash test, which is a fairly disappointing safety score

Global NCAP has published its safety report for Kia Carens, and the results are astonishing. The MPV, which comes with six airbags as standard, managed to only score 9.30 points out of 17 in the adult occupant safety assessment. In terms of child safety assessment, the vehicle managed to score 30.99 points out of 49.

As such, Kia Carens was awarded 3-star ratings for both adult safety and child occupant safety. In its report, Global NCAP noted that the driver and front passenger received good protection for the head and neck. The protection to the chest was good for the front passenger but only marginal for the driver, while only marginal protection was available for the thighs of both occupants.

The driver had adequate protection for the door-side shin, while the other tibia had good protection. The front passenger had good protection for both shins. The driver’s feet, however, had poor protection. In the front impact crash test at 64 kmph, the bodyshell integrity was rated as ‘unstable’.

In November 2020, Global NCAP had published the crash test safety report of Kia Seltos. The SUV had scored an even lower safety score, achieving a 3-star adult safety rating and a 2-star child safety rating. The safety organisation had criticised the manufacturer for not offering the same level of safety on its India-made products that it does on its international ones.

For context, the South Korea-made Kia Seltos had scored a 5-star safety rating in Australasian NCAP (ANCAP). With rising awareness of vehicle safety and the government pushing for stricter safety standards, it is disappointing to see vehicles from an internationally-acclaimed carmaker performing so poorly.

Kia Carens is currently priced from Rs. 9.60 lakh to Rs. 17.70 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). In the Indian market, it is available with a choice of three engine options – a 1.5L NA petrol unit, a 1.4L turbo-petrol unit, and a 1.5L turbo-diesel unit. Its closest rivals here include Maruti Ertiga and XL6.