Safest Cars in India (Segment wise)

[sudharshang]

Since most of the car manufacturers in India do not publicize/reveal crash ratings for most of their models (I know that some manufacturers do for few models), I was wondering which cars are safer in protecting their passengers during collisions or accidents.

I want information from real-life experiences and reports published in newspapers, auto magazines etc (I don't see any auto mag as I get whatever info from TAI )

These are the categories:

1. Hatchback
2. Sedan / Saloon
3. SUV
4. MPV / MUV

Most of the top variants now have safety features like Airbags, ABS with/with out EBD, Crumple Zones etc. Have these really helped in case of an impact or collision?


Mods: Please merge this thread if an existing one is already present. I could not find any by search.

 

[IndianDrives]

Re: Safest cars in India, segment wise

I think SUV. Sports utility vehicles are amazing.

 

[jayadev]

Re: Safest cars in India, segment wise


but there are segments and price range.

type of safety should be considered .

there is actual perfomance and perfomance published by manufacturer.

it is not much of easy thing to judge safest car in a day.

with all these criterias those german stallions like benz /bmw rules.

end of story.

 

[AMG]

There is only one thing certain

i20 asta(0) is the safest hatchback.

 

[sudharshang]

Let me be clear if I have confused anybody with my topic.

I want to know which cars in each segment (body type)

• have higher safety ratings
• make drivers and passengers feel more safer at high speeds
• have enough safety features

Based on my categories, Which model is more safer?

1. Hatchback - Alto, Santro, Figo, Fabia etc
2. Sedan - Dzire, Manza, Fiesta, Verna
3. SUV - Safari, Scorpio, Fortuner, Captiva
4. MPV/MUV - Innova, Xylo, Aria
Hope I am clear

 

[Zinam]

To make it more clear & precise No car in safer :)

Its just the impact the car absorbs at that moment & various other factors!

And for your question, SUVs & Sedans with longer wheelbase are always safer for highway drives & crashes

 

[CountRock]

Generally all cars that are not Maruti and Tata have atleast 4-5 star ECAP safety rating. However the cars we get here do not have all the safety features you get abroad.
I have seen Hyundai i20 Diesel having a sticker at the back side which said 5 * NCAP rating. This according to be is a big LIE! The car which got the rating had 6 airbags. The i20D sold in India does not have this as an option.

Safe cars in India
Hatchbacks: I20 Astra, Punto E+, Polo Highline.
Sedans (Budget): Honda City, Linea E+, Vento Highline
Sedans: I think at this price range all cars come with all basic safety features.

I do not like Maruti cars at all in respect to safety. They have horrible passive safety features such as cycle tyres and extremely light bodies to improve FE!

 

[Akash]

To make it more clear & precise No car in safer :)

Its just the impact the car absorbs at that moment & various other factors!

+1 to above statement.
There are a lot of features like ESC, Airbags, ABS, traction control etc which are provided to ensure better stability and safety.
However, its the driving style which counts much more than these features. Volvos are known to be one of the safest brands in the world, however if driven recklessly, even the dozens of safety equipments wont save you from injuries(which may prove fatal). At the end of the day, it is the safe driving practice which is the best way to protect ourselves from being involved in any kind of accident.

PS: I do not deny that accident are not always because of oneself. More often, the driving practice of others may lead to an accident.

 

[350Z]

According to real time reports, the SUVs are proved to be safer than sedans (Sounds obvious). And I agree that there is no car which can be termed as ‘absolutely safe’. Each has their own set of standards and also whether the occupants are safe or not includes several certain and uncertain factors. Rashly driving and over speeding a car just because it is equipped with eight airbags, ABS, ESP, DAC, HBA blah blah and what not will be an utter foolishness. As far as normal conditions are concerned, (in Indian context) I would prefer the Hyundai i20 and models from Volkswagen, Ford, Volvo, Mercedes Benz etc. (No specific order).

Generally all cars that are not Maruti and Tata have atleast 4-5 star ECAP safety rating. However the cars we get here do not
I do not like Maruti cars at all in respect to safety. They have horrible passive safety features such as cycle tyres and extremely light bodies to improve FE!

Though cannot comment about Tata, but having owned most of the Maruti products by the family / relatives, I can accept the fact that Maruti cars have body parts of very light quality. If a reasonably slight knock can create a dent, I leave on you to imagine what could happen in a big collision.

PS: If one is concerned about safety, adding bull bars is not a nice idea either. Please refer to this thread: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...ont-bull-bars-yes-no.html?highlight=bull+bars

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[jayadev]

hyundai i20 looks safe on paper but afaik with people whom have driven it beyond 120kmph it does not inspire confidence in driver.
again that should also be a prime concern in safety that is handelling.!!

in hatchback no doubt punto emotion+ and polo high line.

again sedan also would be shared by fiat and volks wagon.
both are built very tough and have very good handelling capability

in suv it is scorpio well built and better braking capabilities (dont know about captiva)

mpv should toyota innova with better aero design and better weight to size ratio it would provide comparitively better handelling and control.

 

[mastersquall]

well i think SUV as i have seen lot of accident of safari and scorpio but seeing people alive made me to buy SUV

 

[shailinder]

Let me be clear if I have confused anybody with my topic.

I want to know which cars in each segment (body type)

• have higher safety ratings
• make drivers and passengers feel more safer at high speeds
• have enough safety features

Based on my categories, Which model is more safer?

1. Hatchback - Alto, Santro, Figo, Fabia etc
2. Sedan - Dzire, Manza, Fiesta, Verna
3. SUV - Safari, Scorpio, Fortuner, Captiva
4. MPV/MUV - Innova, Xylo, Aria
Hope I am clear

Princess Diana died in a car accident when she was with Dodi in BMW ! (I guess).
Former Delhi CM – Mr.Sahib Singh died in a car accident when he was coming from Jaipur in Safari (Correct me if I am wrong.)
So no car is safe. BMWs are one of the finest and on which Dodi and Diana was must have been a fully packed but fate had something else for them.

Now coming back to your list :

1. Hatchback - Alto, Santro, Figo, Fabia etc . - FABIA no doubt.
2. Sedan - Dzire, Manza, Fiesta, Verna. - Fiesta or Verna.
3. SUV - Safari, Scorpio, Fortuner, Captiva. - Fortuner or Captiva.
4. MPV/MUV - Innova, Xylo, Aria – Innova due to shape to weight ratio.

Forget Maruti if safety is your prime concern (IT SHOULD BE). Hyundai is also a notch above Maruti but European cars are far too better for these Asians.
And as many suggested, “DRIVING HABITS” plays a major role to make or break any situation.

 

[MSN1]

Princess Diana died in a car accident when she was with Dodi in BMW ! (I guess).
Former Delhi CM – Mr.Sahib Singh died in a car accident when he was coming from Jaipur in Safari (Correct me if I am wrong.)
So no car is safe. BMWs are one of the finest and on which Dodi and Diana was must have been a fully packed but fate had something else for them.

Now coming back to your list :

1. Hatchback - Alto, Santro, Figo, Fabia etc . - FABIA no doubt.
2. Sedan - Dzire, Manza, Fiesta, Verna. - Fiesta or Verna.
3. SUV - Safari, Scorpio, Fortuner, Captiva. - Fortuner or Captiva.
4. MPV/MUV - Innova, Xylo, Aria – Innova due to shape to weight ratio.

Forget Maruti if safety is your prime concern (IT SHOULD BE). Hyundai is also a notch above Maruti but European cars are far too better for these Asians.
And as many suggested, “DRIVING HABITS” plays a major role to make or break any situation.

Well Said Thats true

even if a car comes with all safety futures are the people really utilizing them wisely

a good example is seat belt

their is something called safer driving habits, with that in mind any car is good

 

[ProBiker]

As far I see this will be my list

1. Hatchback - Punto & Polo
2. Sedan - Linea & vento
3. SUV - Fortuner
4. MPV/MUV - Aria

Now this is for the lower end.
However if you go higher up in price you encounter lots of highend cars which are pretty safe.
The mercs, beemers, audis,
However as many pointed out here it depends on your driving sense & Luck in some cases.

 

[cooldhaya]

Well i would again say no car can be called the safest in any way. Finally in the event of crash it all comes down to luck! How many times have we read reports of airbags not popping out in the event of an accident??!!


So more than ESP , ABS , TCS and Airbags the build quality is the most important safety factor IMO! Seeing on that i would say Punto , Fabia and Polo as safe hatchbacks. Linea , Vento , Laura and Jetta in sedans (of course Bmw's , Merc's and Audi's too) and almost most of the SUV'S/MUV'S are generally safer compared to hatches and sedans!