Top 10 Safest Cars In India For Children — With Child Seats

Note: These ratings are only applicable if your child is properly secured in a child seat appropriate to their age. If the child is sitting in your lap or poking out of the sunroof, then, no safety rating is applicable.

In this guide, we ranked top-rated, BNCAP-tested cars based on their combined adult and child occupant protection scores. The VinFast VF 7 recorded the highest child occupant protection score among BNCAP-tested cars at 45.25 out of 49.00. However, we have not included it in this top 10 because its lower adult occupant protection score brings down its combined family safety score significantly.

Also Read: ISOFIX Child Car Seats — Feature Explained

V3Cars Recommended Car Seats

1. LuvLap Active ISOFIX (https://amzn.to/4nWdZXr): This car seat is most suitable for children of ages 1-10 years old. The manufacturer suggests that they are usable for 9 months to 12 years of age. The price of this car seat at the time of publishing this article is around Rs. 8,300. Since this car seat has ISOFIX mounting option, installing and removing it from the car is very easy. But you have to make sure that your car has ISOFIX child seat mounts.
2. LuvLap Infant Car Seat Carry Cot w/ Canopy (https://amzn.to/4wCdPrV): This car seat is rated for new born infants and up to 15 months but we expect it to realistically be usable for up to 12 months of age. At the time of publishing this article, it’s listed for around Rs. 2,900. This seat does not have the ISOFIX mounting option. So, it’s usable with any car even without ISOFIX anchors. But the lack of ISOFIX will make it a little difficult to install and uninstall it from your car. For infants, this car seat is used in rear-facing mode as infants are not able to hold their heads on their own.
3. LuvLap Galaxy Convertible Car Seat (https://amzn.to/4dlhKSo): This car seat is rated for infants to kids of up to 7 years of age but based on our experience with this child car seat, it’s most suitable for 2 month old child and up to 5 years of age. This car seat does not have ISOFIX mounting mechanism, so, it’ll be a little be quite a challenge to install and remove from the car but this makes it universally compatible with all cars. Installing and securing it in the car. At the time of publishing this article, LuvLap Galaxy convertible car seat costs Rs. 5,200 before any applicable card discounts. For use with a very young child, the car seat can be used in rear facing mode as they are not able to hold their heads on their own.
4. LuvLap Premier Car Seat (https://amzn.to/3RjPXJx): This car seat is claimed to be usable for children of 9 months to 12 years of age. However, we would suggest you consider this for children of 12 months to 10 years of age. The removable backrest makes it a booster seat, which is suitable for children when they grow out of a car seat. This car seat also doesn’t have ISOFIX mechanism and is universally compatible with all cars as it uses the 3-point seatbelt mechanism to secure to the car’s seat. At the time of publishing this article, this car seat is listed on Amazon for Rs. 6,800.
5. BayBee Booster Seat Base (https://amzn.to/4fv9PDt): This is a booster seat only and is suitable for children aged between 4 and 10 years. Although, the manufacturer say that you could stretch the usage for an age range of 3-12 years. This seat will also use the car’s seat belts to secure the seat base as well as the child. At the time of publishing this article, it costs Rs. 1,200 on Amazon India.

How BNCAP Tests Child Occupant Protection

For the Child Occupant Protection assessment, BNCAP uses child dummies representing an 18-month-old child and a 3-year-old child. The carmaker recommends the child restraint systems, or child seats, used in the test. BNCAP then installs these seats in the rear seats for the dynamic crash tests. In the Tata Harrier EV test, for example, both child dummies were placed in Joie i-Spin Safe i-Size child seats. These were installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX mounts and a support leg.

BNCAP assesses these child-seat installations in the Offset Deformable Barrier Frontal Impact test at 64kmph and the Side Impact test at 50kmph. The Pole Side Impact test is conducted separately at 29kmph and does not form part of the child-seat dynamic assessment. Apart from the crash-test performance, the final Child Occupant Protection score also depends on the CRS installation assessment and the vehicle assessment score. The CRS installation assessment checks how easily and securely different child seats can be installed in the car’s approved seating positions. The vehicle assessment score considers factors such as ISOFIX/i-Size availability and child-seat compatibility across different seats.

Top 10 Best Safety Cars In India Based On BNCAP Scores

The cars listed below are ranked by their combined Bharat NCAP Adult Occupant Protection and Child Occupant Protection scores. Since all 10 cars have the same child occupant protection score, their final order is decided by their adult occupant protection scores.

10. Toyota Innova Hycross (45.00 / 49.00)

The Toyota Innova Hycross was tested with Toyota MIDI i-Size child seats for both the 18-month-old and 3-year-old child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg. What sets the Innova Hycross apart in this list is its CRS installation assessment, which shows compatibility across more seating positions than most others here, including approved child-seat installation in its 3rd-row. That makes it especially relevant for larger families who may need more than one child seat or want greater flexibility in where children sit.

9. Renault Duster (45.00 / 49.00)

The Renault Duster was tested with Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size child seats for both child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg. Its child protection result is in line with the other cars in this list, with full marks in the dynamic and CRS installation parts of the assessment. Since the child score is identical to most cars here, the Duster’s lower position comes from its combined adult and child occupant protection score.

8. Tata Punch (45.00 / 49.00)

The Tata Punch was tested with Joie i-Spin Safe i-Size child seats for both child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg. Its child protection performance is similar to several larger and more expensive cars in this list, which is what makes it notable. However, its position in the ranking is decided by the combined adult and child occupant protection score, where it sits below the higher-scoring models.

7. Skoda Kylaq (45.00 / 49.00)

The Skoda Kylaq was tested with Britax Römer Dualfix Plus i-Size child seats for both child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg. Like the other cars here, it secured full marks in the dynamic and CRS installation parts of the child protection assessment. Its ranking advantage over some lower-placed models comes from a stronger adult occupant protection score, since the child safety score itself is the same.

6. Mahindra Thar Roxx (45.00 / 49.00)

The Mahindra Thar Roxx was tested with Britax Römer Dualfix Pro M i-Size child seats for both the 18-month-old and 3-year-old child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg. It matches the other cars here on child occupant protection, but ranks higher than the Kylaq, Punch, Duster and Innova Hycross because of its stronger adult occupant protection score. For buyers considering it as a family SUV, the key takeaway is that its child-seat-based test result is strong, provided the child restraint system is used correctly.

5. Tata Punch EV (45.00 / 49.00)

The Tata Punch EV was tested with Joie i-Spin Safe i-Size child seats for both child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg.Its child protection result mirrors the regular petrol and CNG Punch, but it ranks higher in this list because of its better adult occupant protection score. That gives it a stronger combined family safety score while retaining the same child-seat test performance.

4. Kia Seltos (45.00 / 49.00)

The Kia Seltos was tested with Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size child seats for both child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg. Since its child occupant protection score is the same as most cars in this list, its higher ranking comes from its strong adult occupant protection score. Among mainstream family SUVs, that makes the Seltos one of the stronger BNCAP-tested options on combined adult and child safety performance.

3. Mahindra BE 6 (45.00 / 49.00)

The Mahindra BE 6 was tested with Britax Römer Dualfix Pro i-Size child seats for both child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg. Its child protection score matches the other top performers here, but its near-perfect adult occupant protection score pushes it higher in the combined ranking. That is why it places above the Seltos, Punch EV and Thar Roxx despite having the same child safety score.

2. Mahindra XEV 9e (45.00 / 49.00)

The Mahindra XEV 9e was tested with Britax Römer Dualfix Pro i-Size child seats for both the 18-month-old and 3-year-old child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg. Its child protection score is identical to most cars in this list, but its perfect adult occupant protection score gives it the joint-highest combined family safety score among BNCAP-tested cars, along with the Tata Harrier EV.

1. Tata Harrier EV (45.00 / 49.00)

The Tata Harrier EV was tested with Joie i-Spin Safe i-Size child seats for both child dummies, installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX and a support leg. Like the Mahindra XEV 9e, it combines a strong child occupant protection score with a perfect adult occupant protection score, giving both cars the joint-highest combined family safety score in this list.

Top 10 BNCAP-Tested Cars By Child Safety Scores

The table below shows the top 10 cars in this list with their Bharat NCAP Child Occupant Protection and Adult Occupant Protection scores. Since all these cars received the same child safety score, the adult safety score decides their final order.

Also Read: Top 9 Safest Cars Under Rs. 8.0 Lakh (Ex-Showroom)

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