Top 8 Safest Cars Under Rs. 8 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 a star rating for easy understanding. For the sake of consistency, this list only includes made-in-India cars tested by Global NCAP.

Also Read - 2021 Safest Cars Under 10 Lakh in India

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 a 4-star rating for child occupants.

The problem is that you can only buy the base variant for 8 lakh (ex-showroom). If you want some features, then you’ll have to shell out for a higher variant or consider one of the other cars on this list.

2. Tata Altroz

Next up we have another 5-star rated car - the Tata Altroz. This premium hatchback from Tata got a 5-star adult safety rating with a score of 16.3 out of 17. Its child rating stands at 3 stars with a score of 29 out of 49.

For under 8 lakh, you can get 5 variants of the Altroz with a normal petrol and the reasonably loaded XT variant with turbo petrol or turbo diesel engine.

3. Tata Nexon

The Nexon is the last car on this list with a 5-star rating before we slip into 4-star cars. 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 star rating appears to be identical to that of the Altroz, a closer look at the scorecard explains why the Altroz is in the second spot.

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 still uses the same frame and body shell and keeps its safety score intact.

The 1.0-litre normal petrol engine has a poor torque-to-weight ratio and poor drivability. Thankfully, the Comfortline trim with the turbo petrol engine fits well under Rs. 8 lakh limit. This is the variant to get if you’re interested in buying the Polo and have a budget of Rs. 8 lakh.

5. Tata Tiago & Tigor

The Tata Tigor and Tiago 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 these cars is 4-star for adults and 3-star for children.

With a budget of Rs. 8 lakh, you can get even the top variants of either of these cars with the automatic transmission.

Here are the prices of the Tigor variants:

6. Maruti Suzuki Arena Vitara Brezza

On the 6th spot, we have the Maruti Suzuki Arena Vitara Brezza. Its rebadged cousin, the Toyota Urban Cruiser didn’t make it to this list as its base variant cost more than Rs. 8 lakh. Even for the Brezza, only the base variant makes the cut.

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.

7. Renault Triber

The Renault Triber 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. Note that this result is for the 2-airbag model. If you grab the top-spec 6-airbag variant, then your car will have a much better real-world safety rating, especially for side impacts and rollovers.

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

 Also read - 2021 Top Safest Hatchback Cars in India

Here are the prices of the Ford Aspire: