Safety Shocker: Kia Seltos Scores 3 Stars In Global NCAP Crash Tests

The popular compact SUV’s child safety score was an abysmal two out of five stars

• Base variant of India-spec Kia Seltos scores 3 in adult safety and 2 in child protection. 

• Kia Seltos HTE misses out on ISOFIX and three-point seatbelt for the rear centre passenger.

• Shockingly, the Seltos’ bodyshell and footwell were rated unstable, not capable of withstanding further loadings.

• The Kia SUV is priced between Rs 9.89 lakh and Rs 17.34 lakh. 

The popular Kia Seltos has been crash-tested by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) and it has received an average three stars for adult safety and a poor two stars for child passenger safety. GNCAP used the HTE variant of the Seltos which only comes with dual front airbags and ABS with EBD but misses out on ISOFIX child seat anchorages and a three-point seatbelt for the middle-rear occupant. 

The vehicle was crash tested at 64kmph and the body shell integrity was rated unstable. The footwell area was also considered unstable. Even though the higher variants of the Seltos come with more safety features, the poor safety rating of the Seltos' structure remains a conceMore affordable sub-compact SUVs such as the Mahindra XUV300 and the Tata Nexon have received five stars in the recent past. 

The first Kia for India secured a score of 8.03 out of 17 for adult protection with the head protection considered ‘adequate’ as both the occupants bottomed out the airbags. The neck protection was ‘good’ for both the front adult passengers. The chest protection was ‘good’ for the co-driver and ‘marginal’ for the driver. The protection for the driver and co-driver’s knee was rated ‘marginal’ and GNCAP noted that it was prone to come in contact with ‘dangerous structures behind the dashboard’.

The Kia Seltos managed a dismal 15 out of 49 points for child occupant protection. GNCAP recommended against child restraint systems (CRS). The three-year-old dummy passenger in a forward-facing seat got ‘limited protection’ for the head and neck. An 18-month-old dummy passenger in a rearward-facing seat received acceptable protection. 

The Global NCAP noted that the base Seltos HTE isn’t equipped with 3-point seatbelts and ISOFIX mounts which are offered from HTX onwards. 

The Kia Seltos was launched in August 2019 and it has been one of the top-10 selling cars in India on several occasions. It is priced between Rs 9.89 lakh to Rs 17.34 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Read More on : Kia Seltos on road price