Five Indian cars get zero stars in Global NCAP tests

A Global NCAP test on five India made cars has brought out really poor results. All five cars have scored zero stars on adult occupant safety and four out of the five have got only two stars for child occupant safety. The vehicles tested are the Renault Kwid, Hyundai Eon, Mahindra Scorpio, Maruti Suzuki Celerio and the Maruti Suzuki Eeco.

Listed below are the individual crash test details released by Global NCAP. All cars tested were the standard versions. 

Renault Kwid

The Renault Kwid was tested out in two versions. In the test of the first version, it scored zero stars in terms of adult occupant protection and two stars for child occupant protection.  A collapse of structure in the passenger compartment and lack of airbags resulted in the poor score.

The French automaker updated the car to match the safety requirements and submitted it for a second crash test. The car was tested both with and without an airbag. Both scored zero stars and it was found that while the structure did not collapse it was rated as unstable as it could not withstand any further loading. Reinforcement was found only on the driver’s side.

Maruti Suzuki Eeco

Maruti’s Eeco MPV performed poorly in terms of adult occupant safety. The report suggests that the passenger’s knees could impact with structures in the dashboard as well as the shock absorber mounts mainly on the driver’s side.

It did, however, get two stars for child safety occupant thanks to the child seat (for a three-year-old child) being able to prevent excessive movement during impact. Also, the dynamic performance of the 18 months old child restraint was adequate.

Mahindra Scorpio

The  Mahindra Scorpio suffered a collapse of structure and this in combination with the lack of airbags has resulted in zero score. In terms of child safety it scored two stars mostly thanks to the 18-months child restraint performing adequately. However, there was excessive movement and above the limits biomechanical readings from the child seat during impact.

Hyundai Eon

The Hyundai Eon is offered in the standard version without airbags. It scored zero stars in the adult occupant protection and two stars in child occupant protection. The unstable structure in the passenger compartment and the lack of airbags has resulted in the poor result in adult occupant protection.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio

This is the second Maruti Suzuki vehicle to be tested and it too has scored zero in terms of adult occupant safety. The Celerio is the only vehicle to have scored a single star in terms of child occupant safety. This has happened due to high values recorded in the 3-year-old child dummy as well as its forward excursion beyond the accepted limits.

 Commenting on the latest crash test results, David Ward, secretary general of Global NCAP said, “The latest #SaferCarsforIndia results show how important it is for cars to have a body shell that can remain stable in a crash. This is an absolutely crucial pre-requisite for occupant safety together with fitment at least of front airbags. It is very surprising that a manufacturer like Renault introduced the Kwid initially lacking this essential feature. Global NCAP strongly believes that no manufacturer anywhere in the world should be developing new models that are so clearly sub-standard. Car makers must ensure that their new models pass the UN’s minimum crash test regulations, and support use of an airbag.”

Ward also added, “The results highlight the importance of the Indian Government’s decision to mandate front and side impact crash tests from October 2017. Legislative action is needed to ensure that the minimum levels of occupant protection recommended by the United Nations are guaranteed for Indian consumers. But manufacturers don’t have to wait for legislation and we urge them to act to eliminate all zero star cars from production as soon as possible.”