Utility vehicles major Mahindra & Mahindra now can fortified its claim that its compact utility
vehicle — the XUV 300 is the safest car on Indian roads as it won the Global NCAP’s first ever ‘Safer Choice’ Award. The accolade, according to the agency, that pitches for safer vehicles, is available to carmakers achieving the highest levels of safety performance in India.

Rajan Wadhera, President-Automotive, Mahindra & Mahindra said: “Mahindra XUV 300 is the first ever car to score five star for adult occupant rating & a 4-star Global NCAP child occupant protection rating, thereby winning the “Safer Choice” award. I am sure that this recognition, will further spur us to achieve
the highest safety for the entire range of vehicles.”

In recent times, carmakers such as Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors have scaled up safety features in their new models to global standards. This effort not only has helped them to improve their reputation but has also been useful in attracting new buyers.

In January,  XUV300 achieved the mentioned rating which was the highest combined occupant safety rating of any car tested in Global NCAP’s #SaferCarsForIndia campaign to date. Tata has two models — Nexon and Altroz that has achieved a five star rating for adult occupant but scored less in the child safety divison.

Mahindra XUV300 attained a score of 16.42/17.00 points or five stars in the adult occupant category and 37.44/49.00 points or four stars in the child occupant category, while Tata Altroz scored 16.13 / 17 points for adult safety and 29 / 49 for child safety – thereby scoring 5 star and 3 star respectively.

David Ward, CEO and President of Global NCAP said, “This is a historic moment for Mahindra and the Indian auto industry, marking a tipping point in vehicle safety performance for the country. After setting our ‘Safer Choice’ Award challenge in 2018 it is deeply satisfying to see an Indian automaker taking a lead on safety in this way.”

Global NCAP crash test is not mandatory for the cars sold in India and the agency has to independentl  test these cars at their facility. While many carmakers have started sending their cars to the agency, India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki has recently said it will not be sending its cars to Global NCAP although it adheres by all safety regulations.

Safety must

Since Global NCAP crash test is not mandatory for the cars sold in India, many companies don’t adhere to safety norms. Many cars don’t have standard equipment like a driver airbag, rear parking sensors or seat belt reminders