Top 7 Cars We Want To See Tested At The Bharat NCAP

Over 30 cars from multiple carmakers have already been nominated for our homegrown crash tests

India now has its very own new car assessment program called Bharat NCAP, which will come into effect from October 1, 2023, and over 30 cars have already been nominated to be crash tested. Out of all the popular or highest-selling cars in India, many have been crash tested by Global NCAP at some point in any of their iterations. However, there are some cars which haven’t been put through the GNCAP’s safety assessments at all, of which these are the seven picks we want to see at the BNCAP:

Must Read: Bharat New Car Assessment Program Is Finally Here!

Maruti Fronx

A recent launch from Maruti has already made its way to the list of highest-selling cars in India. The Maruti Fronx is based on the Baleno hatchback which was crash tested in its previous iteration and came out with a zero-star safety rating. A key point to note is that its safety shield wasn’t as strong as the existing model’s, which now gets up to six airbags and electronic stability programme (ESP), both of which can help achieve a better score. If crash tested at BNCAP, the crossover SUV will not only give us its own safety capabilities, but will also give us a hint at the safety of the current version of the Baleno.

Also Read: Maruti Fronx Pending Order Count Stands At 22,000 Units

The Fronx’s safety net includes up to six airbags, 3-point seatbelts for all passengers, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program (ESP), hill hold assist, ISOFIX child seat anchors and a 360-degree camera. It is priced between Rs 7.46 lakh and Rs 13.13 lakh.

Maruti Grand Vitara

Launched in September 2023, the new Maruti Grand Vitara has gained quite a popularity. The compact SUV competes in one of the most crowded SUV segments which already has two 5-star rated cars: Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq. To check its ability with respect to passenger safety, we want it to be included in BNCAP’s list of 30 cars that are set to be crash tested soon.

Also Read: Maruti Grand Vitara Now Equipped With Pedestrian Alert System

The Grand Vitara gets safety features like up to six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program (ESP), tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), a 360-degree camera and ISOFIX child seat anchors. Its prices range from Rs 10.70 lakh to Rs 19.99 lakh.

Mahindra Bolero

The rugged and boxy SUV from Mahindra is also one of the top-selling models in the country. In recent years, Mahindra has made quite a progress in improving the safety of its cars and even bagged 5-star Global NCAP safety ratings for the XUV700 and Scorpio N. The Bolero has held its place in the market for a while and we are expecting a similar safety rating, which can only be found once the SUV is crash tested at BNCAP.

Also Read: Mahindra Will Electrify The Scorpio And Bolero Series

The Bolero’s safety kit only includes basic features like dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, seatbelt reminders and rear parking sensors. The rugged SUV is priced between Rs 9.78 lakh and Rs 10.79 lakh.

Maruti Dzire

The Maruti Dzire is usually in the ‘10 highest-selling cars’ list and sells an average of 11,000 units each month. With such high sales, also comes the expectations of good safety. Earlier this year, the Maruti Swift was crash tested at Global NCAP and came out with only a 1-star safety rating. Since the Dzire is based on the Swift, we have been considering its safety to be the same as the hatchback, but it would help to have its own crash-tested rating from the BNCAP.

Also Read: Maruti Invicto Now Gets Rear Seatbelt Reminder As Standard

The current version of the Dzire gets dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, hill hold assist, ISOFIX child seat anchors and a rear parking camera. It is priced from Rs 6.51 lakh to Rs 9.39 lakh.

Hyundai Exter

Another recent model in the Indian market, the Hyundai Exter, has already made its way to the list of highest-selling cars. The micro SUV is based on the Grand i10 Nios, which had a disappointing show in Global NCAP crash tests. With Hyundai having made structural changes for the SUV along with standard safety features like six airbags and electronic stability control, it would be interesting to see how the Exter fares in the Bharat NCAP crash tests.

Also Read: 75 Percent Of Hyundai Exter Buyers Chose The Sunroof Variants

Other safety features of the Exter include ABS with EBD, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), a rear parking camera and ISOFIX child seat anchors. The newly launched micro SUV is priced between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 10.10 lakh.

Hyundai Venue

The Hyundai Venue is one of the most popular sub-4m SUVs on sale in India. This subcompact SUV has been crash tested at Australian NCAP where it got a 4-star safety rating, but its India-spec version has not been crash tested yet. To find out if it can replicate that rating for the Indian market or even climb up to a 5-star score, it needs to be crash tested at Bharat NCAP.

Also Read: Hyundai Venue Knight Edition Launched At Rs 10 Lakh

The Venue’s safety net comprises up to six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), hill hold assist, a rear parking camera and ISOFIX child seat anchors. Prices for the subcompact SUV range from Rs 7.77 lakh to Rs 13.48 lakh.

Toyota Innova Crysta

The Innova Crysta is another car that has been crash tested before, but at the ASEAN NCAP, where it came out with a 5-star safety rating. It has been a popular MPV in India, which is majorly down to its powerful diesel powertrain and a rear-wheel-drivetrain (RWD) setup.

Also Read: Toyota Innova Crysta Gets Dearer By Up To Rs 37,000

It comes with seven airbags, ABS with EBD, vehicle stability control (VSC), hill hold assist, brake assist and front and rear parking sensors. The Toyota MPV is priced between Rs 19.99 lakh and Rs 26.05 lakh.

All prices are ex-showroom Delhi

Also Read: Bharat NCAP vs Global NCAP: Similarities And Differences Explained

These are our picks for the cars that we want to see crash tested at Bharat NCAP. Do let us know in the comments below if you have your own picks.

Read More on : Maruti Grand Vitara on road price