Fresh tests conducted by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) have rendered popular Indian cars from five domestic carmakers with a zero rating on adult occupancy safety.

Crash tests were conducted on the Renault Kwid, Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Eeco, the Mahindra Scorpio and Hyundai Eon. All these cars according a zero rating in the crash tests, Global NCAP said.

The test results were revealed in New Delhi on Tuesday where David Ward, Secretary General of Global NCAP is attending the Indian Automobile Safety Conference hosted in Faridabad.

“The results highlight the importance of the Indian Government’s decision to mandate front and side impact crash tests from October 2017. Legislative action is needed to ensure that the minimum levels of occupant protection recommended by the United Nations are guaranteed for Indian consumers. But manufacturers don’t have to wait for legislation and we urge them to act to eliminate all zero star cars from production as soon as possible."

Global NCAP said that three variants of the Renault Kwid were tested in the crash test and all three of them came out with zero star rating. This included a variant with airbags.

“The latest SaferCarsforIndia results show how important it is for cars to have a body shell that can remain stable in a crash. This is an absolutely crucial pre-requisite for occupant safety together with fitment at least of front air bags. It is very surprising that a manufacturer like Renault introduced the Kwid initially lacking this essential feature. Global NCAP strongly believes that no manufacturer anywhere in the world should be developing new models that are so clearly sub-standard. Car makers must ensure that their new models pass the UN’s minimum crash test regulations, and support use of an airbag," Ward said.

Renault Kwid

​Three variants of the Kwid were tested, including one with a driver side airbag. All three got zero star rating from Global NCAP.

Mahindra ScorpioAdult safety: Zero starsChild Occupant Protection: Two stars

The collapse of the structure combined with the lack of airbags explains the score for the adult occupants protection which means that there is high probability of life threatening injuries for at least one of the adult passengers.

Maruti Suzuki Eeco Adult Safety: Zero starsChild Occupant Protection: One star

The collapse of the structure in the passenger compartment and the lack of airbags explained the poor result in adult occupant protection. This model does not offer optional airbags. Considering the structural collapse airbags are not likely to help avoid life threatening injuries to the driver.

Maruti Suzuki CelerioAdult Safety: Zero starsChild Occupant Protection: Two stars

The lack of airbags explained the poor result in adult occupant protection. The low score in child occupant protection is explained by the high values recorded in the 3 year old child dummy as well as its forward excursion beyond the accepted limits.

Hyundai EonAdult Safety: Zero starsChild Occupant Protection: Two star

The unstable structure in the passenger compartment and the lack of airbags explained the poor result in adult occupant protection.