Third-gen Hyundai i20 Scores A 3-Star Safety Rating From Global NCAP

It was tested in its base-level variant and secured three stars in both adult and child occupant protection

• The i20’s safety rating suffered from a lack of structural stability.

• It also did not offer good protection to the driver in its front-offset crash test.

• The three-year old in a front-facing child seat offered poor protection to the neck while protecting its chest.

• Hyundai does offer the i20 with six airbags and ESC in its higher variants.

• Its rival, the Tata Altroz, scored five stars with similar features and better structural integrity.

The current generation of the Hyundai i20 premium hatchback arrived in India in late-2020. It has now been crash tested by Global NCAP where it scored three stars each for adult and child occupant protection.

The i20 was tested in its base variant which gets dual front airbags, ABS and ISOFIX child seat anchorages. The biggest blow to the hatchback’s safety rating was its structural integrity that was rated unstable after the frontal offset crash test at 64kmph.

In terms of adult front occupant safety, it offered only adequate protection for the driver’s head, legs and feet while the chest protection was rated as weak. The front passenger seemed to be better off as it had good protection for the head, neck, chest and left leg. Both front occupants only received marginal protection to their thighs.

The i20 did fare better than some when it comes to child protection thanks to clear CRS markings, and offering ISOFIX as standard. The front-facing child seat with the 3-year old showed good protection to the chest and could prevent excessive forward movement but offered poor protection to the neck. The rear-facing child seat for the 1.5-year old also offered good protection to the head and chest. However, it does still only offer a lap belt in the middle seat of the rear bench. 

Global NCAP also pointed out in its report that the very same hatchback in other markets offered more safety equipment as standard than it does in India. In Europe, the i20 comes with electronic stability control, side airbags and even autonomous emergency braking as standard.

The i20 does offer ESC and add six airbags, but only in its highest variants. Upcoming changes to motor vehicle regulations could require those features to be offered as standard as well. However, the biggest improvement can be made in the car’s structural integrity. For instance, the Tata Altroz has that added safety and with similar equipment as the base-spec i20, and scored a five-star safety rating from Global NCAP.

The Hyundai i20 is offered with various powertrain options and premium features for its upmarket cabin. It is currently priced from Rs 6.98 lakh to Rs 11.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The i20 rivals the likes of the Maruti Baleno, Tata Altroz, Toyota Glanza, and Honda Jazz.

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