Top 7 Safest Petrol Cars In India - GNCAP Tested

1. Tata Punch

Despite being a fairly affordable car, the Tata Punch manages to beat many other cars to earn the top spot with an adult safety score of 16.45 points out of 17. It scored a good 40.89 points out of 49 for child safety too. The star rating of the Punch stands at 5 stars for the adult and 4 for child safety.

It has only 1 engine option and 4 variants with a manual transmission while the top 3 also get an AMT automatic. The Punch costs between Rs. 5.93 lakh and Rs. 9.19 lakh (ex-showroom).

Tata Punch Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

2. Mahindra XUV300

The Mahindra XUV300 is another top performer with a score just shy of the Tata Punch. The XUV300 earned an adult safety score of 16.42 points out of 17. The child safety score of the XUV300 is 37.44 out of 49 for a final star rating of 5 for adult safety and 4 in child safety.

The XUV300 has the option of a 1.2L turbo petrol engine with manual transmission and AMT automatic transmission. It also gets a more powerful 1.2L turbo petrol engine with direct injection and a manual transmission. The XUV300 petrol’s prices range between Rs. 8.41 lakh and Rs. 13.06 lakh.

Mahindra XUV300 Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

3. Tata Altorz

The Tata Altroz scored 16.13 points out of 17 in adult safety for a star rating of 5 stars and 29 out of 49 for child safety and a rating of 3 stars.

The Altroz is available with a 1.2L normal petrol-manual, a 1.2L normal petrol-automatic (DCT) and a 1.2L turbo petrol-manual powertrain options. The Altroz petrol variants cost between Rs. 6.30 lakh and Rs. 9.80 lakh.

Tata Altroz Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

4. Tata Nexon

Next in line, we have the Tata Nexon, which scored 16.06 points out of 17 for adult safety and 25 points out of 49 in child safety in the GNCAP crash test. The Nexon has a 5- and 3-star rating in adult and child safety, respectively.

The Nexon petrol gets a 1.2L turbo petrol engine with a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed AMT automatic transmission. The Nexon petrol variants cost between Rs. 7.60 lakh and Rs. 12.45 lakh (ex-showroom).

Tata Nexon Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

5. Mahindra XUV700

The XUV700 is just a shade behind the Tata Nexon with a score of 16.03 points for adult safety. The XUV700’s child safety score of 41.66 points 49 is much better than that of the Nexon, though.

In terms of pricing, the XUV700 petrol with 5-seat layout costs between Rs. 13.45 and Rs. 18.54 lakh. With 7-seat configuration, the XUV700 petrol’s prices start at Rs. 17.44 and top out at Rs. 23.10 lakh (ex-showroom).

Mahindra XUV700 5-Seat Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Mahindra XUV700 7-Seat Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

6. Skoda Kushaq

The GNCAP changed some of the testing criteria and based on the new scoring system, the Skoda Kushaq earned 29.64 points in adult safety out of 34. Do note, that the total achievable score here is double compared to that of the other cars, where the max score of 17. So, to bring parity with other cars, we should divide the Kushaq’s adult safety score in half. After this adjustment, it comes at 14.82 points out of 17 with a star rating of 5 for adult safety.

In the child safety department, the Kushaq earned 42, which is the highest for any made-in-India car as of 2022. The Kushaq is the only other car in India with a perfect 5 star safety rating for adult as well as child safety.

In terms of ex-showroom pricing, the Kushaq’s petrol variants cost between Rs. 11.29 lakh and Rs. 19.49 lakh.

Skoda Kushaq Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

7. Volkswagen Taigun

Since the Taigun and Kushaq share the platform and powertrains, the same result applies to the Taigun as well. Here too, after making the adjustment, the Taigun’s adult safety score stands at 14.82 points out of 17 with a 5-star safety rating. The Taigun is the only other car India with a perfect 5-star safety rating for, both, adult and child occupants.

The Taigun’s petrol variants cost between Rs. 11.40 lakh and Rs. 18.60 lakh (ex-showroom).

Volkswagen Taigun Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

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