Safety ratings have become an important criterion for a whole bunch of car buyers in deciding which vehicle to go for
In this post, we will decipher the specifics of the top 5 safest sedans in India according to Global NCAP ratings. In this day and age, safety ratings play a crucial role in deciding which car to purchase. Indian consumers have become immensely safety conscious. In the last few years, the Indian automobile market has received numerous highly-rated vehicles. As a consequence, the overall awareness about the relevance of purchasing cars with high safety ratings has been quite high. For now, let us delve deep into the details of the safety ratings of popular sedans.
Top 5 Safest Sedans in India
Honda City
Let us commence with the Honda City in its 4th-generation avatar. Note that it was tested by the Global NCAP back in 2022. The popular mid-size sedan was able to bag 12.03 points out of 17 for a 4-star safety rating in the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) category and 38.27 points out of a possible 49 for a 4-star safety rating in the Child Occupant Protection (COP) section. The standard safety amenities include 2 airbags, seat belt reminder, ISOFIX child seat mounts, and 4-channel ABS.
For the COP test, the ISOFIX mount for the 18-month-old child enabled a rearward-facing position, while for the 3-year-old child, it was installed forward-facing. The former offered good protection to the chest and head, whereas the latter offered good protection to the head and chest and limited protection to the neck while being able to prevent excessive forward movement. The bodyshell was rated as unstable and it was not capable of withstanding further loadings. Also, the footwell area was deemed unstable. All this contributed to a decent 4-star safety rating in both sections.
Hyundai Verna
Next up, we have the Hyundai Verna. It is one of the most successful vehicles in this class. In its latest iteration, it scored an impressive 5-star safety rating for the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) category and a similar 5-star safety rating for the Child Occupant Protection (COP) segment. In AOP, the mid-size sedan secured a cool 28.18 points out of 34, while in COP, it got 42 points out of 49. The standard safety features include 6 airbags, a seatbelt pretensioner and loadlimiter for front and rear occupants, ISOFIX child seat mounts for the rear row, seatbelt reminder for front and rear, Electronic Stability Control and GTR 9 โ UN 127 Pedestrian Protection.
In the AOP section, the Hyundai Verna received 11.5 points out of 16 in the Frontal Offset Deformable Barrier Test and 15.7 points out of 16 in the Side Movable Deformable Barrier Test. The Side Pole Impact Pole Test was rated โOKโ. This amounts to 28.18 points. Similarly, in the COP division, it bagged a Dynamic Score of 24 out of 24, a CRS Installation Score of 12 out of 12 and a Vehicle Assessment Score of 6 out of 13 for a total of 42 points out of a possible 49. All these factors combined for a full 5-star rating in both categories.
VW Virtus
Let us move to the German sedan on this list, the VW Virtus. It is among the best-selling VW cars in the last few years. It rivals the mighty Hyundai Verna and Honda City in our market. On the Global NCAP test, it managed to bag a full 5-star safety rating for the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) section and a similar 5-star safety rating for the Child Occupant Protection (COP) category. It scored 29.71 points out of 34 in AOP and 42 points out of 49 in COP. The standard safety features include 2 airbags, a seatbelt pretensioner and loadlimiter for front and rear occupants, ISOFIX child seat mounts for the rear row, seatbelt reminder for front and rear, Electronic Stability Control and GTR 9 โ UN 127 Pedestrian Protection.
Going deeper into the AOP category reveals that it scored 14.5 points out of 16 in the Frontal Offset Deformable Barrier Test and 14.2 points out of 16 in the Side Movable Deformable Barrier Test. This totals to 29.71 points. The Side Pole Impact Pole Test was rated โOKโ. Moreover, the COP category comprises of a Dynamic Score of 24 out of 24, a CRS Installation Score of 12 out of 12 and a Vehicle Assessment Score of 6 out of 13 for a total of 42 points out of a possible 49. All these factors combine for a full 5-star rating in both sections.
Skoda Slavia
Then we have the Skoda Slavia. It is, essentially, a badge-engineered version of the VW Virtus. The styling and interior layout might be different. Still, the body panels, features, powertrains and transmissions are identical. As a result, these two even share the safety ratings. The Skoda Slavia was able to bring an impeccable 5-star safety rating in both Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and Child Occupant Protection (COP) categories. The scores for the AOP and COP sections are 29.71 points out of 34 and 42 points out of 49, respectively. Its standard safety amenities are 2 airbags, a seatbelt pretensioner and loadlimiter for front and rear occupants, ISOFIX child seat mounts for the rear row, seatbelt reminder for front and rear, Electronic Stability Control and GTR 9 โ UN 127 Pedestrian Protection.
Talking specifically about the AOP division, it secured 14.5 points out of 16 in the Frontal Offset Deformable Barrier Test and 14.2 points out of 16 in the Side Movable Deformable Barrier Test amounting to 29.71 points. The Side Pole Impact Pole Test was rated โOKโ. On the other hand, in the COP segment, the Slavia bagged a Dynamic Score of 24 out of 24, a CRS Installation Score of 12 out of 12 and a Vehicle Assessment Score of 6 out of 13 for a total of 42 points out of a possible 49. All this resulted in a full 5-star safety rating in both tests.
Maruti Dzire
Finally, the new Maruti Dzire became the safest sedan in the country as per the latest Global NCAP safety ratings. In fact, that is what everyone has been talking about lately. Dzire became the first Maruti Suzuki car in the country to score a full 5-star safety rating at the Global NCAP ever. It managed a respectable 31.24 points out of a possible 34 in the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and 39.20 points out of 49 in the Child Occupant Protection (COP) category. The standard safety equipment includes 6 airbags, a seatbelt pretensioner and loadlimiter for front and rear occupants, ISOFIX child seat mounts for the rear row, seatbelt reminder for front and rear, Electronic Stability Control and GTR 9 โ UN 127 Pedestrian Protection. All these resulted in a full 5-star safety rating.
In the AOP category, the compact sedan scored 13.239 points in the Frontal Offset Deformable Barrier Test, 16 points in the Side Movable Deformable Barrier Test and an โOKโ Side Pole Impact Test. This results in 31.24 points. On the other hand, in the COP section, it was able to receive 22 points out of 24 in Dynamic Score, 12 points out of 12 in CRS Installation Score and 5 points out of 13 in Vehicle Assessment Score. Hence, the 39.20 points. This results in a 5-star rating in AOP and a 4-star rating in the COP category. These are the top 5 safest sedans in our country as per the Global NCAP ratings.
Also Read: 5 Safest SUVs as per Bharat NCAP โ Mahindra Thar Roxx to Tata Nexon
