Road safety is a growing concern in our country, thanks to the lack of knowledge and in some cases, disregard for the law. While a few manufacturers offer safety tech such as airbags and ABS as standard, a few term them as 'optional features', and some skip them altogether. In case safety ranks high in your list of must-haves for a new, sub Rs 10 lakh car, what are your best bets? Let's find out!
1. Ford Figo (Rs 4.6 - 7.8 Lakh)
The second generation of the Figo packs quite a punch. The little Ford is the only hatch under Rs 10 lakh that gets 6 airbags! Other safety tech include ABS and EBD. The automatic variant (that featured in our top 7 automatics to buy, by the way) also features traction control and hill start assist. Its sedan sibling, the Figo Aspire gets all the safety features as well.
2. Toyota Etios (Rs 6.3 - 8.8 Lakh)
The Etios (and its hatch avatar, the Liva) scored a 4-star rating in the NCAP crash test. It scored 13 out of 16 for adult occupant protection and 20.02 out of 49 for child occupant protection in the test. The Toyotas get dual airbags, ABS and EBD standard across all trims of both the sedan and the hatchback.
3. Volkswagen Vento (Rs 8.1 - 12.7 Lakh)
The Vento, in its TSi avatar, is the only car to score a full 5-stars in the NCAP crash test (read more, here). The standard variants scored a respectable 4-stars. The rigid body structure, dual airbags, ABS, and gizmos such as traction control and electronic stability control make it rank amongst the safest cars you can buy. Notably, the Ameo and the Polo are just as safe as the sedan.
4. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz (Rs 7.8 - 10.6 Lakh)
The Ciaz gets a spot on our list after a Thai-spec version scored 4-stars in a crash test. It is key to note that the crash tested car isn't vastly different from the one sold in India and gets identical safety features such as a seatbelt reminder, ABS and dual airbags. A special shoutout to the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga that fared just as well
5. Hyundai Elite i20 (Rs 5.6 - 9.0 Lakh)
While we weren't too happy about Hyundai offering just 2 airbags in the Elite i20 (the first-generation had 6), that alone does not change the fact the new generation is a safe car. Just like most other cars on this list, the i20 gets twin airbags and ABS across variants. It also gets something Hyundai calls a 'smart pedal', that overrides accelerator inputs when the accelerator and brake pedals are pressed simultaneously.
Cars such as the Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Creta, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Skoda Rapid get a pat on the back from us as well. All cars rank high when it comes to safety, both in terms of technology and structural rigidity. Got anything to add? Disagree with our choices? Sound off in the comments section below.
Source: CarDekho.com
