Top 10 Safest Cars In India According To Global NCAP

Global NCAP, the global safety watchdog, has been testing Indian cars since 2014. For the longest time, the crash testing agency’s ratings have served as the yardstick by which the general public would measure a car's safety and body strength. Here are the safest cars sold in India according to Global NCAP crash test ratings.

Also Read: Bharat NCAP Crash Test: Toyota Innova Hycross Secures Five-Star Safety Rating
 

Tata Safari/ Harrier

The Tata Harrier and Safari are currently the vehicles with the highest safety points in India

Tata Motors’ premium SUVs currently hold the highest Global NCAP ratings of all passenger vehicles in India. The Safari and Harrier were tested in 2023 upon receiving a facelift in the Indian market. Both SUVs have an adult occupant score of 33.05 points out of 34 points and a child occupancy score of 45/49 points. 

The Safari and Harrier have an adult occupant score of 33.05 points out of 34 points

In the frontal offset deformable test, the protection offered to the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck was good, while the driver’s and passenger’s chest showed adequate protection. The driver’s and passenger’s knees showed good protection. While the passenger’s tibias showed good protection, the driver's tibias showed adequate protection.

When it came to child occupant protection, both cars received a child occupancy score of 45/49 points

In the side movable deformable impact test, the head, chest, abdomen and pelvis showed good protection. In the side pole impact test, however, the head and pelvis showed good protection, while protection for the chest was rated as marginal, and that for the abdomen was classified as adequate. 

When it came to child occupant protection, both cars received a dynamic score of 24/24, a CRS installation of 12/12, while their vehicle assessment score stood at 9/13.

Tata Nexon

The Tata Nexon is a popular offering in the Indian market

Another Tata vehicle that makes it to this list is the Nexon, the company’s subcompact SUV, which has been quite successful in the Indian market. Among the reasons for its popularity is its high safety rating from Global NCAP. Tata Motors tested the Nexon back in 2024, back when it had received a substantial update in the Indian market. The vehicle’s adult occupant score was 32.22/34 points, while its child occupant score was 44.52/49 points. 

The frontal offset tests showed good results for the Nexon

In the tests conducted by the crash test agency to measure frontal impact protection, the protection offered to the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck was good. The driver’s and the passenger's chests, meanwhile, showed adequate protection. Protection for the driver’s and passenger’s knees was rated as good. When it came to protection for the tibias, the passenger’s tibias showed good protection while the driver’s tibias showed adequate protection.

In the side movable deformable impact test, the occupants’ head, abdomen and pelvis showed good protection, the chest showed adequate protection. In the side pole impact test, only the head and pelvis showed good protection, while protection for the chest was rated as marginal, and that of the abdomen as adequate. 

On the child occupant protection front, the Nexon’s Dynamic score was 23.52/24, its CRS installation score was 12/12, while the vehicle assessment score was 9/13. 
 

Nissan Magnite

The Magnite scored five stars in its second attempt at crash testing

The Nissan Magnite is the newest model to score five stars in the GNCAP safety tests. The Magnite scored 32.31 points out of 34 for adult occupant protection, although the child occupant protection score was only 33.64 points out of 49. It is, however, worth noting that the Magnite only received this rating in its second testing attempt in 2025. In its previous attempt, the vehicle had managed to score four stars, which prompted Nissan executives to submit a ‘further improved’ Magnite for a second voluntary test. The company has also not commented on the nature of the improvement made to the Magnite.

The Magnite scored 32.31 points out of 34 for adult occupant protection

In the frontal offset deformable barrier test, the Magnite was deemed to offer ‘good' protection for the driver’s chest, as well as the front occupants' knees. It's worth noting that the body shell of the Magnite was rated stable and capable of withstanding further loadings in both instances. The test also noted that the vehicle offered good protection in the side impact as well as side pole impact tests.

However, when it came to the tests for child occupant protection, Global NCAP's analysis stated that the child seat for the 3-year-old test dummy – installed rearward facing using ISOFIX anchorages and a support leg – was ‘not able to prevent head contact with the interior of the car during the frontal impact’. The fixed child seat was able to prevent head exposure in the frontal impact test. The reason it lost points, as per Global NCAP, is because protection for the dummy's chest was deemed to be ‘slightly below’ what is considered ‘good’ under the test protocol.
 

Skoda Kushaq / Volkswagen Taigun 

Both the Kushaq and Taigun were awarded five stars when they were tested back in 2022

The Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun, both rebadged versions of each other, continue to retain their status as among the safest cars in India, as per Global NCAP. Both SUVs received five stars for both adult and child occupancy. In terms of child occupancy, they scored 29.64/34 points, while on the adult occupancy front, the score was 42/49 points. 

When it came to front impact protection, the tests conducted by the crash test agency demonstrated that the protection offered to the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck was ‘Good’. The chest protection for the passenger’s side was rated as ‘Good’, while that of the driver was only rated as ‘Adequate’. The knees of both driver and passenger were well protected. The driver’s tibias showed marginal and adequate protection, and the passenger's tibias showed good protection. The test also noted that the rearward-facing child protection seat was able to prevent head exposure. 

In the side impact test, head, abdomen and pelvis protection was good while chest protection was marginal. In the side pole impact test, meanwhile, side head protection airbags showed good protection to the head and pelvis, adequate protection to the abdomen and marginal protection to the chest. 

When it came to child occupant protection, both cars received a dynamic score of 24/24, a CRS installation of 12/12, while their vehicle assessment score was lower, at 6/13.
 

Volkswagen Virtus/ Skoda Slavia
 

The Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia were tested in 2023

Global NCAP also tested Volkswagen’s sedan, the Virtus, which is essentially a rebadged version of the Skoda Slavia sedan. Similar to their compact SUV counterparts, the models scored five stars in both adult and child occupancy. Tested in 2023, the cars scored 29.71/34 in terms of adult occupant protection, and 42/ 49 on the child occupant protection front. 

 The sedans scored 29.71/34 for adult occupant protection

In the frontal offset deformable barrier test, it was noted that the protection offered to the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck was good. The driver’s and passenger’s chests showed adequate protection, while the driver’s and passenger’s knees showed good protection. The driver’s tibias, meanwhile, showed adequate protection while the passenger’s tibias showed good protection.

The child occupant protection score of the sedans was 42/ 49

Notes from the sedan’s side impact test stated that head, chest and abdomen protection was adequate, while pelvis showed good protection. In the side impact pole test, side head protection airbags offered good protection to the head, abdomen and pelvis, and marginal

protection to the chest.
 

Hyundai Verna

The Verna was the first made-in-India product from Hyundai to receive five stars from Global NCAP

Having gone viral for all the wrong reasons previously, Hyundai managed to shut down critics with the current iteration of the Verna, which was awarded a five-star rating by Global NCAP for both adult occupant protection and child occupant protection. The sedan, which has now been on sale in its current guise for nearly two years, scored 28.18/34 for adult occupant protection and 42/49 for child occupant protection. 

The Verna scored five stars for both adult and child occupancy

In the frontal offset deformable barrier test, it was noted that the protection offered to the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck was good. While the driver’s chest showed marginal protection, the passenger’s chest showed good protection. However, it was also observed that the driver’s and passenger’s knees only showed marginal protection. The driver’s tibias showed adequate protection, and the passenger’s tibias showed good and adequate protection.

However, the tests also rated the footwell area and body shell as being rated as unstable and not capable of withstanding further loadings.

The footwell area and body shell of the Verna were rated as being unstable

The side impact test concluded that the occupants’ head, pelvis and abdomen showed good protection while the chest showed adequate protection. In the side pole impact test, it was noted that the curtain airbags meet the fitment requirements and provide good protection to the head and pelvis, marginal protection to the chest and adequate protection to the abdomen.

When it came to child occupant protection, the car received a dynamic score of 24/24, a CRS installation of 12/12, while its vehicle assessment score was lower, at 6/13.
 

Maruti Suzuki Dzire 

 The Maruti Suzuki Dzire was the first product from the brand to be awarded a 5-star rating

The last India-specific vehicle to be tested by Global NCAP, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, surprised the public when it scored five stars for adult occupancy with a score of 31.24/34. This was the first Maruti Suzuki product to notch up five stars for adult occupant protection in the Global NCAP crash tests. When it came to child occupant protection, the car scored four stars, with a score of 39.20/49. 

When it came to front impact protection, the tests conducted by the crash test agency demonstrated that the protection offered to the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck was good. The driver’s chest showed marginal protection while the passenger's chest showed adequate protection. The driver’s and passenger’s knees showed good protection. Driver’s and passenger’s tibias showed adequate protection. 

The Dzire scored four stars for child occupancy protection

In the side impact test, it was concluded that the occupants’ head, chest, abdomen and pelvis showed good protection. The side pole impact test meanwhile showed that head, abdomen and pelvis protection was good, while chest protection was marginal. 

When it came to child occupant protection, the car received a dynamic score of 22.20/24, a CRS installation of 12/12, while its vehicle assessment score stood at 5/13.
 

Mahindra Scorpio N

The Mahindra Scorpio N was tested in 2022 and scored five stars overall

The Mahindra Scorpio N is another vehicle that managed to score five stars for adult occupant protection in the tests conducted by the agency. While the SUV scored an adult occupant protection score of 29.25/34, its child protection score was lower and stood at 28.93/49, resulting in a three-star rating. 

After conducting the frontal impact test on the Scorpio N, it was determined that the protection offered to the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck was good. The driver’s and the passenger's chests, meanwhile, showed marginal protection. The driver’s and passenger’s knees showed good protection. While the driver’s tibias showed adequate protection, the passenger’s tibias showed adequate and marginal protection. 

The side impact test, meanwhile, concluded that head, chest, abdomen and pelvis protection was good. The side impact pole test then demonstrated that the vehicle’s curtain airbags and side head protection airbags provide good protection to the head, abdomen and pelvis, and weak protection to the chest. 

When it came to child occupant protection, the car received a dynamic score of 24/24, a CRS installation of 4.93/12, while its vehicle assessment score stood at a low 0/13.
 

Mahindra XUV 700

The XUV 700 was tested using the old and less stringent testing protocol

The Mahindra XUV 700 is another vehicle that has been awarded five stars by the global watchdog. However, it is also worth noting that this vehicle was tested in 2021 using the old and less stringent testing protocol. The SUV, however, scored 16.03/17 for adult occupant protection, while for child occupant protection, it scored four stars and scored 41.66/49.
 

In the front impact protection tests, it was determined by the crash test agency that the protection offered to the driver’s and passenger’s head, neck and chest was good. The driver’s and passenger’s knees showed good protection. The protection for the tibias of the driver was rated as adequate, while in the case of the front passenger, the protection to the right tibia was rated as adequate, and that of the left one was good. The bodyshell and footwell area of the vehicle was rated as stable and was capable of withstanding further loadings.
 

When it came to child occupant protection, the installed child seat was able to prevent head exposure during the impact, while the recommended CRSs did not show incompatibility. The vehicle offers a lap belt in the rear centre position. The report states that all of the following led to the car receiving four stars. 
 

Tata Punch

The Tata Punch was also tested under the old testing protocol back in 2021

The Tata Punch, which has only received small updates since its launch, was also tested in 2021, under the old testing protocol. The Punch, like most other Tata products, also received five stars, scoring 16.45/17 for adult occupant protection, and 40.89/49, resulting in four stars, for child occupant protection.

In the front impact protection tests, it was deemed that the protection offered to the driver's and passenger’s head, neck and chest was good. The knees of both the driver and passenger also showed good protection. The tibias of the driver, meanwhile, were rated as adequate, while those of the passenger were rated as adequate (right tibia) and good (left tibia), respectively.

In the tests for child occupant protection, it was noted that child seats installed rearward-facing with ISOFIX were able to prevent excessive forward movement during the impact and offered good protection to the head and chest of both dummies. The vehicle also offers a lap belt in the rear centre position, and comes with ISOFIX anchorages as standard. The report states that all of the following led to the car receiving four stars.