Safest Hatchback Cars in India

Safety becomes the only priority when choosing a car, specifically when travelling with the family or for long distances. Over the last few years, manufacturers of hatchback cars in India have indeed made improvements in the safety features of these vehicles. Global NCAP ratings give us a crystal-clear understanding of just how well these vehicles perform in crash safety.

We look closer at the safest hatchback cars in India in this blog with their specs and the ratings from NCAP.

1. Tata Altroz

• Global NCAP Rating: 5 stars for adult protection, 3 stars for child protection.
• Key Safety Features: 2 frontal airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX child seat mounts, and rear parking sensors.

With a 5-star rating for adult protection, the Tata Altroz is, undoubtedly, the safest hatchback in India. This car is robustly built with a safe structure and a footwell area to safeguard both the driver and the passenger. The Altroz is very good in the case of head and neck protection, which, in turn, promises robust protection to adults, while the chest part gets adequate protection, which makes it suitable for lengthy drives both in cities and highways.

ISOFIX mounting ensures child safety. The 18-month-old dummy was well cared for in this car in rearward-facing seats, but the 3-year-old's seat installed forward-facing had a few scores reduced due to the seat unlatching in the impact. In total, though, the Altroz is the safest hatch available in India.

2. Tata Tiago

• GNCAP Rating: 4 stars for adults and 3 stars for children.
• Key Safety Features:  Dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors. 

The new Tata Tiago provides excellent safety in this price range. It scored four out of five ratings for adult protection, with good head and neck protection, though its structure and footwell area is unstable. Of course, the Tiago's chest protection is nice for passengers, making it a trustworthy car for daily driving.

It did reasonably well with the dummy for the 18-month age group, but there is still scope to improve forward movement control for the 3-year-old counterpart. Even so, at this price point, the Tiago is still one of the safest options in the hatchback segment.

3. Hyundai i20

• Global NCAP Rating: 3 stars for adult protection, 2 stars for child protection.
• Key Safety Features: Dual airbags ABS with EBD ISOFIX mount ESC on the higher variants.

Hyundai i20 is a premium hatch that boasts agreeable features but falls short in some areas. In the adult protection test, the i20 scored only 3 stars; this was attributed to an unstable structure and weak chest protection that poorly safeguarded the driver. It comes as a surprise that Hyundai has not placed such features as electronic stability control and side-impact protection as standard for all its variants, even though it now comes with front airbags and ISOFIX mounts.

The i20 did not do very well in the child safety department. In the crash test, high deceleration of the head was seen by the dummy 3-year-old. There is scope to improve here. Though feature-rich, the safety score for the i20 seems to leave space for better protection in Indian conditions.

4. Hyundai Grand i10 Nios

• Global NCAP Rating: 2 stars for adult protection, 2 stars for child protection.
• Key Safety Features: Dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors.

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is one of the top contenders in the hatchback lineup; however, its safety provisions seem a bit at the lower end. It was awarded 2 out of 5 stars for both adult and child protection. The car body and footwell received unstable structure ratings. The chest protection of the driver was extremely poor. Some of the standard safety features, like airbags and ABS, have been offered on this model; however, the overall performance in crash tests was not up to the mark.

Added to that, child safety was compromised since the manufacturer did not supply a suitable CRS to be used in this test. The 3-year-old dummy offered poorer head protection than it would have done in families with young children.

5. Maruti Suzuki Swift

• Global NCAP Rating: 1 star for adult protection, 1 star for child protection.
• Key Safety Features: Six airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX mounts, and rear parking sensors.

One of India's best-selling hatchbacks, the Maruti Suzuki Swift remains behind due to safety; the model received a 2-star rating for adult protection and child protection. The bodyshell was rated as unstable and showed no signs of withstanding further loadings. Good head and neck protection is also witnessed for adults, but chest protection for the driver is weak.

This little car is also designed with child safety in mind. There are ISOFIX mounts on the Swift, but this forward-facing installation of the 18-month dummy left much to be desired in terms of head and chest protection. Maruti has tried its best to bridge the gap too, but when it comes to peers, the Swift is still a long way off.

Conclusion

The Tata Altroz, a leader in the class regarding safety, a 5-star rating, and excellent adult occupant protection, is also the safest hatchback in its class. Only at similar pricing levels is the Tata Tiago, another very safe car, especially considering the price bracket it finds itself in. It's hatchbacks that offer features but are rather very behind their rivals once it gets to how they fare through crash tests, making them less in demand by those who put safety above all else.

It thus means that when one buys a hatchback, he/she has to look beyond the features and mileage; a car with the highest Global NCAP safety rating on his side makes sure that he and his family will be as safe and secure with each drive.

Also Read: Best Cars for Women in India