Global NCAP’s ‘Safer Cars for India’ program has proved to be salient in emphasising on producing safer cars for the Indian market, as well as setting minimum safety standards
In recent times, safety rating has gone on to become one of the first and foremost aspects that one considers while considering to buy a new car. A few years ago, safety features were considered a luxury and even basic active safety features were reserved for luxury vehicles, or range-topping variants of mass market vehicles.
However, the Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Program)’s ‘Safer Cars for India’ campaign that was originally commenced in 2014, was a real eye opener for the Indian government and automakers operating in the Indian market. The said campaign resulted in the government highlighting vehicular safety, and adopting more stringent crash and safety requirements for cars sold in the country.
Since 2014, Global NCAP has tested a host of Indian cars under the aforementioned campaign, and we have compiled a list of the 10 cars currently on sale in the Indian market that received the highest safety rating in Global NCAP’s crash test. Take a look –
| S. No. | Car tested | Adult Occupant Protection Rating | Child Occupant Protection Rating |
| 1. | Mahindra XUV300 | 5 stars (16.42/17) | 4 stars (37.44/49) |
| 2. | Tata Altroz | 5 stars (16.13/17) | 3 stars (29/49) |
| 3. | Tata Nexon | 5 stars (16.06/17) | 3 stars (25/49) |
| 4. | Honda Amaze | 4 stars (14.08/17) | 1 star (8.16/49) |
| 5. | Mahindra Marazzo | 4 stars (12.85/17) | 2 stars (22.22/49) |
| 6. | Volkswagen Polo | 4 stars (12.54/17) | 3 stars (29.91/49) |
| 7. | Tata Tiago/Tigor | 4 stars (12.52/17) | 3 stars (34.15/49) |
| 8. | Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza | 4 stars (12.51/17) | 2 stars (17.93/49) |
| 9. | Ford Aspire | 3 stars (10.49/17) | 2 stars (14.22/49) |
| 10. | Maruti Suzuki Ertiga | 3 stars (9.25/17) | 3 stars (25.16/49) |
It should be a moment of pride for all Indians since the podium finishers of this list are cars that are produced by Indian manufacturers. The Mahindra XUV300 takes the first spot with an adult occupant protection rating of 5 stars, and a child occupancy safety rating of 4 stars. The Tata Altroz and the Tata Nexon secure the second and third place respectively. Both the cars have an adult occupant protection rating of 5 stars, while the child occupancy protection is rated at 3 stars.
Following on fourth is the Honda Amaze, which was tested under the ‘Safer Cars for Africa’ campaign. Nonetheless, the Africa-spec model that was tested is produced in the Indian market, and gets the exact same safety features as the model sold here. Honda Amaze managed to score 4 stars in adult occupant protection rating, just like the four cars following it on the list, i.e. Mahindra Marazzo, Volkswagen Polo, Tata Tiago/Tigor and Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza.
The 9th and 10th spots were secured by Ford Aspire and Maruti Suzuki Ertiga respectively. The Ford Aspire scored 3 stars in adult occupant protection and 2 stars in child occupant protection, while the Ertiga MPV received 3 stars in both adult as well as child occupant protection.