Maruti Suzuki Alto Receives 2-Star Safety Rating from Global NCAP

The New Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 has just received a 2-Star Adult Safety Rating at the latest round of the Global NCAP crash tests. The hatchback also scored 0 stars for Child Occupant Safety. The Alto K10 was part of Global NCAP’s first crash tests of 2023, which also included the Maruti Wagon R, Volkswagen Virtus, and the Škoda Slavia.

The car on test was a Indian-market spec model which came equipped with dual front airbags, seat belt pretensioners and front seat belt reminders as standard. We take a closer look at the results.

Maruti Alto K10: Adult Occupant Safety Rating

The new Maruti Alto K10 scored 21.67 points out of 34 in the Adult Occupant Protection tests. At the frontal offset deformable barrier and side movable deformable barrier tests, the hatchback scored 8.2 points and 12.4 points, respectively. The testing body stated that at the frontal impact test, the car offered good protection to the driver and passenger’s head and neck. However, protection for the chest and knees was marginal in both tests. In the side impact test, head and pelvis protection was rated as good but abdomen protection was only adequate while chest protection was rated as poor.

The organization did not test the vehicle for side impact tests as it does not offer side airbags. Furthermore, it does not comply with GTR9 or UN127 pedestrian protection norms. Global NCAP did note that the hatchback’s body shell was stable and capable of withstanding further loadings.

Maruti Alto K10: Child Occupant Safety Rating

During the Child Occupant Safety test, the Alto K10 managed to score only 3.52 points out of 49. This score only includes the Child Restraint System (CRS) installation while the hatchback received 0 points in the dynamic score. It was tested with a 3-year old child dummy seated on a forward facing child seat with an adult seat belt. This was not able to prevent the excessive forward movement during the crash impact which exposed the head to a high risk.

In comparison, the 18-month old child dummy was tested with a rear facing child seat with adult seat belt where it showed good protection for the head but weak protection on the chest area.

The four-wheeler does not get three-point seat belts for all passengers or the recommended CRS. It also does not offer ISOFIX anchorages as standard for any of the seats, which explains the poor Child Occupant Safety rating.

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10: Is it an unsafe car?

While the Maruti Alto has scored poorly in the Global NCAP crash tests, it is important to note that it is positioned as a budget hatchback. It does not get most of the recommended safety features to make sure it is priced competitively.

If you look at the crash tests closely, you will notice that the hatchback has a body shell that is rated as stable. This is actually better than Maruti’s more expensive models like the Ignis and Swift, both of which have an unstable body shell as per the new testing protocols. Being a new model, the Alto K10 proves that Maruti Suzuki is making safer cars than before. However, the lack of features like ISOFIX anchorages, ESC and side airbags as standard fitment in the hatchback is a sore point.