Top 10 Safest Cars Under Rs. 10 Lakh

Tata maintains a clear lead among cars under Rs. 10 lakh (ex-showroom) price band and has 4 cars on this list. However, Mahindra leads the pack with the best score ever for a car under Rs. 10 lakh.

Note: The adult safety score is out of 17 while the child safety score is out of 49. GNCAP then condenses the score into star rating for easy understanding. For the sake of consistency, this list only includes made-in-India cars tested by Global NCAP.

1. Mahindra XUV300

Mahindra XUV300 scored 16.42 out of 17 for adult safety and 37.44 out of 49 for child safety. The XUV300 got a 5-star safety rating for adults and 4-star rating for child occupants.

The XUV300 is also the only car on this list with rear disc brakes. These should also help avoid an accident in the first by dropping strong anchors on all four corners. However, the choices are rare here as you only have 3 options to choose from without blowing through the Rs. 10 lakh (ex-showroom) budget.

Also Read - Cars & SUVs with Best Ground Clearance Under 10 Lakh in India

2. Tata Altroz

Next on the list is the Tata Altroz. This premium hatchback from Tata proves that you dont need an SUV to achieve a better safety score. The Altroz got a 5-star adult safety rating with a score of 16.3 out of 17, while its child rating stands at 3 stars with a score of 29 out of 49.

3. Tata Nexon

The next car on the list is again from Tata Motors. The Nexon tested by the GNCAP was a pre-facelift model, but the updated Nexon also uses the same chassis. So, we can expect the same result from the new Nexon.

It scored 16.06 points out of 17 for adult safety and 25 out of 49 for child safety. Tata Nexon’s combined score for adult and child safety is 5 stars and 3 stars. While it appears to be identical to that of the Altroz, the scorecard makes it clear that the Altroz has a small lead over the Nexon in both adult and child safety ratings.

Also Read - Top 10 Cars with Biggest Boot Space Under 10 Lakh

4. Volkswagen Polo

The Volkswagen Polo with 2 airbags scored 12.54 for adult safety and 29.91 for child safety. Its combined safety rating for adult and child occupants stands at 4 stars and 3 stars, respectively. GNCAP tested this car way back in 2014, but the Polo continues to use the same frame and body shell and keeps its safety score intact.

5. Tata Tiago & Tigor

Next up, we have the Tata Tiago and Tigor. These cars use the same frame and carry a score of 12.52 for adult safety and 34.15 for child safety. The final safety rating of the Tiago and Tigor is 4-star for adults and 3-star for children.

Here are the prices of the Tigor variants:

6. Maruti Suzuki Arena Vitara Brezza & Toyota Urban Cruiser

On the 6th spot, we have the Maruti Suzuki Arena Vitara Brezza and its rebadged cousin, the Toyota Urban Cruiser. In the GNCAP tests, the Vitara Brezza scored a respectable 12.51 points out of 17 for adult safety and a barely acceptable 17.91 points out of 49 for child safety. The overall safety rating for these cars stands at 4 stars for adults and 2 stars for children.

Here are the prices of the Toyota Urban Cruiser variants under Rs. 10 lakh:

7. Renault Triber

After the Brezza, we have the immensely practical and value-for-money Renault Triber. This car got 11.62 points in adult occupant safety and 27 points in child safety. It earned 4 stars for adult safety and 3 stars for child safety, which is a better overall rating than the Brezza but the slightly lower adult safety score keeps it below the Brezza on this list.

This is because, whether we’re ferrying children or not, at least one adult is always there in the car. Therefore, there’s a higher probability of suffering injuries for the adults in the front seats. So, we’re going with the adult safety score instead of the overall star rating.

Please note that GNCAP tested the 2-airbag version of the Triber. So, if you buy a higher variant with side airbags, you will get a car with a slightly better safety rating than projected in these scores. The 4-airbag variants may even beat Brezza’s score.

8. Ford Figo & Aspire

In 8th place, we have the Ford Figo and Aspire. Since they both use exactly the frame for frontal and side-impact crash tests, their safety rating will remain identical for GNCAP tests.

Figo and Aspire got 10.49 for adult safety and 14.22 for child safety. The Figo and Aspire’s final score stands at 3 stars for grown-ups and 2 stars for kids.

The Freestyle also uses the same frame as the Figo and Aspire, so it may also have a similar safety score.

Here are the prices of the Ford Aspire:

9. Maruti Suzuki Arena Ertiga & Nexa XL6

As we get closer to the end of the list, we enter the sub-10 point score vehicles. The Ertiga and XL6 twins are the first ones with a score of less than 10 for adult safety. However, it managed to score 9.25 points out of 17 for adult safety and 17.75 out of 49 for child safety for a final tally of 3 in both categories.

Here are the prices of the Maruti Suzuki Nexa XL6 variants under Rs. 10 lakh:

10. Renault Duster

Finally, we have the age-old Renault Duster with 9 points and 17.75 points for adult and child safety, respectively. The Duster’s GNCAP rating stands at 3 stars for adults and 2 stars for children.

Once again, you have limited choices if you don’t stretch your budget as only 1 variant fits under Rs. 10 lakh.