Top 5 Safest SUVs Under Rs. 10 Lakh

Note: This list is based on the crash-test results by the GNCAP. The adult safety score is out of 17, while the child safety score is out of 49. GNCAP then condenses the score into a star rating for easy understanding.

1. Mahindra XUV300

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

The XUV300 is also the only car under Rs. 10 lakh to offer rear disc brakes. These can certainly help reduce the braking distance. However, this is also one of the more expensive options on this list as you have only 3 variants to choose from with a budget of under Rs. 10 lakh.

2. Tata Nexon

The next car on the list is the Tata Nexon. GNCAP tested the pre-facelift model of the Nexon, but the updated Nexon also uses the same chassis. So, we can expect similar results from the new Nexon.

The Nexon 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.

3. Maruti Suzuki Arena Vitara Brezza & Toyota Urban Cruiser

On the 3rd position, 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. Thus, 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:

4. Renault Duster

The Renault Duster walked away from the GNCAP tests with 9 points and 17.75 points for adult and child safety, respectively. The Duster’s rating stands at 3 stars for adults and 2 stars for children.

There are several variants of the Duster, but only 1 made the cut with a strict limit of Rs. 10 lakh.

5. Kia Seltos

Finally, we have the Kia Seltos, which managed 8.03 points for adults and 15 points for child safety in the GNCAP tests. The overall adult and child safety rating of Seltos stands at 

Once again, you have no choice here if you don’t stretch your budget as only 1 variant of the Seltos fits under Rs. 10 lakh.

One surprising thing to note here is that the pre-facelift Datsun Redi-Go with just 1 airbag got a higher adult and child safety score of 8.36 and 15.63 points, respectively. They’re both better than the Seltos. However, the final rating for the Redi-Go is only 1 star for adults and 2 stars for children. So the Redi-Go’s star rating should be better than the Seltos.

With 2 airbags, ABS and parking sensors, the updated Redi-Go should perform better even better and handily beat the Seltos. One reason for this discrepancy could be the inclusion of passive safety features, which were missing in this small car at the time.