New Dzire is 1st Maruti Suzuki car to get 5-star safety rating by Global NCAP. What it means

Days after Maruti Suzuki started pre-booking for its 4th Generation Dzire, the compact sedan was given a 5-star rating by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) for adult occupant safety, a first for the Indian subsidiary of Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation. The new Dzire comes equipped with six airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and pedestrian protection as standard.

“The new Dzire’s five-star rating sets a significant safety benchmark for Maruti Suzuki compared to the previous version of this model and others from Maruti we have tested. Global NCAP warmly welcomes this milestone voluntary test result," David Ward, executive president of the Towards Zero Foundation, said in a statement.

“We are optimistic that going forward Maruti will seek to achieve this high level of safety performance across their model range. If they do, it will be a vehicle safety game changer for Indian consumers.”

Global NCAP’s rigorous testing protocols assess various aspects of crashworthiness, including frontal and side impact protection, ESC performance, and pedestrian safety measures. For models aiming for the highest ratings, they also conduct side pole impact tests, requiring cars to demonstrate robust structural integrity and effective occupant protection.

What crash tests showed

In the Dzire’s crash tests, its structure and footwell area were rated as stable. The car is also equipped with three-point seat belts in all seating positions, and i-Size anchorages (the universal child seat anchor system) come as standard.

In the frontal impact test, the Dzire offered good protection for the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck, while the chest protection was rated as marginal for the driver and adequate for the passenger, according to Global NCAP. For side impact tests, the Dzire provided good protection to the head, chest, abdomen, and pelvis of the occupants. In the side pole impact, the car offered good protection for the head, abdomen, and pelvis, while chest protection was rated as marginal.

The Dzire scored a 4-star rating for child occupant safety. During the frontal impact test, the child restraint system (CRS) for a 3-year-old child was installed forward-facing using ISOFIX anchorages and a top tether, offering full protection for the head and chest. However, neck protection was rated as limited. For an 18-month-old child, a rearward-facing CRS prevented head exposure and provided full protection for the head and chest.

In the side impact tests, both CRS configurations provided complete protection. However, Global NCAP noted that the Dzire lacks a deactivation option for the front passenger airbag when a rearward-facing CRS is used, an area for potential improvement in future models.