Made-In-India Hyundai Elite i20 Gets 3-Star Safety Rating In Global NCAP Crash Test

The hatchback was tested under Global NCAP’s ‘Safer Cars For Africa’ project

• Hyundai i20’s 3-star rating means it lags behind the VW Polo and Toyota Etios Liva, both of which received a 4-star overall rating.

• Test car was equipped with dual airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners and ABS with EBD. India-spec Elite i20 is also available with the same features as standard

• Global NCAP, which conducted the crash test at speeds of approximately 64kmph, rated the body shell of the i20 as ‘unstable’.

• Top-spec Elite i20 Asta (O) in India also gets ISOFIX child seats for better protection

Global NCAP (new car assessment program) has crash tested the made-in-India, Africa-spec Hyundai i20 (known as Elite i20 in India) and the results are a mixed bag. The hatchback achieved three stars (10.15 out of 17) for adult occupant protection in frontal crash test, which is conducted at a standard speed of 64kmph. As for the rear-seated, 3-year-old child dummy, the safety was even lower at two stars (18.16 out of 49). The car structure as well as the footwell area was rated as unstable.

But first things first, it’s worth noting that the South Africa-spec Hyundai i20 is not just made in India but gets the same safety features that the India-spec Elite i20 gets. The car under test was equipped with front seatbelt pretensioners, dual front airbags, a driver seatbelt reminder system and a four-channel ABS system, like the India-spec hatchback.

(Pictured: India-spec Elite i20 CVT)

The i20 that’s exported to Africa from India has identical dimensions when it comes to wheelbase (2570mm), overall length (3985mm) and overall width (1734mm). The India-spec model is taller in comparison, though, at 1505mm. The SA-spec i20 has a height of 1485mm, 20mm lower.

Test results for the SA-spec i20 reveal marginal protection for driver’s chest, knees and adequate protection for front passenger’s chest and knees. Also, posing threat to the front occupant’s knees were the dangerous structures behind the dashboard, as reported by GNCAP.

The 18 month old child’s seat was installed RWF (rearward facing) using the regular seatbelt which offered good protection to the head and chest. The 3-year-old’s seat was installed FWF(frontward facing), posing risk of excessing forward head movement. This led to the comparatively lower child safety in comparison to the front occupants.

Another hatchback in the Hyundai Elite i20’s segment that has passed equivalent tests is the India-spec Volkswagen Polo. It received a four star rating in adult occupant safety and  three stars for child safety. The VW Polo that was tested just had dual front airbags for safety.

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