India’s automotive market is under close scrutiny. In a broader move, Global NCAP has assessed the safety performance of several Indian vehicles to understand how well they protect occupants in real-world crashes. The evaluation covered four different models, yielding a mix of outcomes. One model achieved the highest five-star rating, while the other three scored just one star each.
The Mahindra Scorpio-N crossover stood out with a five-star overall rating, accumulating 29.25 out of 34 points. However, when it came to child protection, the rating fell to three stars due to the absence of three-point seat belts, yielding 28.93 out of 49 possible points. The test vehicle was equipped with only two front airbags and anti-lock brakes.
Global NCAP praised Mahindra for the five-star protection for adult occupants under the organization’s newer, more stringent crash testing protocols. The assessment was articulated by Global NCAP’s leadership, who highlighted the contrast between adult protection and the gaps in child safety measures.
In contrast, the results for Maruti Suzuki models were notably less favorable. The Swift earned one star for adult protection and one star for child protection, with scores of 19.19 and 16.68 respectively. The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso posted 20.03 for Adult Protection but only 3.52 for Child Protection, resulting in a single-star outcome for the latter.
The Maruti Suzuki Ignis likewise earned a single star, with a total of 16.48 points. Child Protection in this model was 3.86, again translating to zero stars for that category.
Across all Maruti Suzuki models, two front airbags were standard. Global NCAP’s analysis notes that the overall body structure is comparatively weak and shows signs of deformation during frontal crash scenarios, a factor that clearly limits protective performance in a collision.
The organization’s commentary emphasized concern that a leading automaker by market share in India would offer models lacking essential safety features, even when those features are commonly available as optional equipment. This underlines the importance of standardizing key safety systems across all models to protect occupants on every journey.
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