Best Safe Cars

The Toyota Yaris comes with a lot of segment-first features and has been receiving good market response ever since its launch. The sedan is based on the global model – the Toyota Yaris Ativ (Vios, in some markets). The Yaris is also one of the very few sub-20-lakh cars in India to have seven airbags as standard. What’s more! The Toyota Yaris has got a five-star rating in ASEAN NCAP.

The Skoda Rapid, the brand’s entry-level sedan, is one of the safest cars in its segment. Built around the Volkswagen Vento platform, both cars have secured a 5-star rating in Euro NCAP. The Skoda Rapid is the cheapest and best-selling car from the Czech brand. The sedan is currently in its second iteration and is also one of the cars which have regained the brand’s losing market in the country.

The Jeep Compass – one of the most-demanded five-seater SUVs in India – has got an impressive five-star rating in Euro NCAP. The ‘baby Grand Cherokee’ has got the imposing looks of a Jeep, especially with its seven-slat grille. When the American brand set foot in India, there wasn’t any affordable model on offer. Being CBUs, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee SRT and Wrangler Unlimited costed a lot more than its competition (based on specifications). It was only when the Compass was introduced that Jeep India made profit. The Jeep Compass comes with premium interiors and excellent overall build quality – which further translates to passenger safety.

The Volkswagen Polo – the best-seller from the German brand – is a popular hatchback all around the world. When introduced in India back in 2009, it instantly became one of the very few ‘widely-accepted premium hatchback’. Though the pricing was on the higher side for the time, people bought it mainly for its ‘German Engineering’. During that period, the Volkswagen Polo was one of the safest hatchbacks though its competition has become safer now. The current Volkswagen Polo will be replaced by a new model next year. The upcoming Polo has already been tested by Euro NCAP and it has secured five stars.

The Honda Jazz is one among the two hatchbacks sold by the Japanese brand in India. The car has reached its second generation and offers lots of features, space and practicality. Its unique design has given it a title called ‘Supermini’ in global markets. And being a global model, it is bound to meet some safety standards. This is also the reason why it has achieved a five-star rating in EuroNCAP. However, do remember that Indian versions of global car models are always toned-down a bit to cut costs.

The Toyota Etios (and the Etios Liva) was developed by the Japanese brand, solely for the Indian market. The sedan was introduced in the country in 2010 and was later sold in emerging countries such as South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia. Even after almost eight years of production, the car hasn’t undergone much changes to the exterior or the interior. Most of the models are being used as cabs too. Though the Etios has nothing much to offer compared to most of its rivals, the entry-level Toyota sedan is quite a safe car to be in. It has scored a four-star rating in Global NCAP. In addition to this, the trust of Indians in Toyota has also aided in achieving good sales numbers.

The Ford EcoSport is now offered in three variants in India: petrol, diesel and a more fun, turbocharged petrol. The second generation Ford EcoSport carries a lot of improvements over the previous model and showcases Ford’s class-leading build quality. The crossover is sold all around the globe and come with many safety features including Ford’s Emergency Assist – a system which automatically contacts emergency services via the paired smartphone in the event of an accident. In addition to this, the Ford EcoSport has also secured a four-star-rating in Euro NCAP and five-stars in Latin NCAP. These points are really impressive for a vehicle proportion as the EcoSport.

The Maruti Vitara Brezza is one of the most successful compact-SUVs on the Indian market as of now and is available only in a diesel format. It has scored a four-star rating in the crash testing conducted by Global NCAP. The Maruti Brezza comes with all the basic safety essentials such as dual airbags, ABS and ISOFIX child seat mounts.

The Tata Nexon is one the most successful models from the legendary Indian brand and it offers good value-for-money. The Tata Nexon is also an example of Tata's new range of products, built with the brand's latest design and engineering techniques. The compact Tata Nexon has got a four-star rating in a recent crash test conducted by Global NCAP.