Maruti Suzuki’s upcoming compact sedan, the Dzire, has achieved a five-star rating for adult occupant safety and four stars for child occupant safety in the Global NCAP crash tests. This marks the first time India’s largest carmaker has reached this milestone.
Previously, five-star safety ratings have been associated primarily with models from Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra and European automakers such as Volkswagen and Skoda. This achievement is particularly significant for the Indian market where the Dzire is among the best-selling cars. It also helps Maruti Suzuki address past criticism regarding the lack of five-star safety-rated vehicles in its lineup.
Set to launch on November 11, the new Dzire comes equipped with six airbags, electronic stability control (ESC) and pedestrian protection as standard features.
“The new Dzire’s five-star rating sets a significant safety benchmark for Maruti Suzuki, especially when compared to previous versions and other Maruti models we have tested,” said David Ward, Executive President of the Towards Zero Foundation. “We hope Maruti will strive to reach this high level of safety across their entire model range. If they succeed, it could be transformative for vehicle safety in India,” he added.
Global NCAP’s crash test protocols assess frontal and side impact protection for all vehicles, as well as electronic stability control (ESC). For vehicles to earn the highest star ratings, they must also pass pedestrian protection and side pole impact tests.
In these tests, the new Dzire’s structure and footwell were rated as stable, indicating they can handle additional loading. The driver dummy showed marginal chest protection in the frontal test, while the pole and side impact tests demonstrated full head and body protection for adult occupants.
For child occupant protection, the 18-month-old dummy received full protection, while the three-year-old dummy showed good protection to the head and chest, though neck protection could be further improved with a rearward-facing child restraint system. Side impact tests for child occupants also indicated full protection.
The Dzire scored 31.24 out of 34 points for adult occupant protection (AOP) and 39.20 out of 42 points for child occupant protection (COP).
These results represent a significant safety improvement from the outgoing model, which previously received only two stars for both adult and child occupant protection. The previous Dzire, which offered two airbags and ESC as standard, was rated as having an unstable structure and footwell area.
In India, several vehicles now carry top safety ratings from Global NCAP, including Tata Motors’ Safari, Harrier, Altroz, Nexon, and Punch; Mahindra & Mahindra’s XUV 700 and Scorpio-N; as well as models like the Volkswagen Virtus, Skoda Slavia, and Hyundai Verna.