BREAKING: Tata Punch Scores An Impressive 5 Stars In Global NCAP Safety Test

• Tata Punch scores five stars for adult protection and four stars in child protection.
• It secured 16.45/17 in adult protection, narrowly beating the XUV300.
• It’s child protection of 40.89/49 manages to better the Mahindra SUV.
• Punch gets dual airbags, ABS with EBD, parking sensors, and ISOFIX as standard.
• Prices to be announced on October 18.

The Tata Punch will soon be the most affordable vehicle with a five-star Global NCAP crash test rating when it goes on sale on October 18. In fact, the SUV managed to secure a better rating than the XUV300, which, until now, is the topper in adult and child occupant protection in GNCAP’s #SaferCarsForIndia campaign. The Punch is the third Tata model to secure five stars in the crash test after the Nexon and Altroz. 

The micro SUV offers dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, and ISOFIX child seat mounts as standard. It was crash tested at a speed of 64kmph and its body shell integrtiy was reported as stable with capabilities to withstand additional load. The Punch scored five stars in Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and four stars in Child Occupant Protection (COP). 

Adult Occupant Protection

The Punch’s 16.45/17 AOP managed to edge the XUV300’s 16.42/17 rating. Protection to the driver and co-driver’s head and neck was rated as good. The micro SUV offered good protection to the driver’s knees, which should be safe even under a stronger impact. Also, the driver’s tibias had good protection while the co-driver’s had adequate and good protection. Even the footwell area was rated as stable, securing the Punch a full five stars in AOP. 

Child Occupant Protection

Under this category, the Punch scored 40.89/49, which is much better than the XUV300’s 37.44/49. The rear facing child seats, locked by the ISOFIX mounts, prevented excessive forward movements and offered good protection to the head and chest of the three year old and 1.5 year old child dummies. The ISOFIX marking is also permanent while the rear centre occupant has a lap seat belt, securing the SUV four stars in this category. 

Improvements Suggested To Tata 

The Global NCAP suggested a few improvements to Tata to make the Punch an even safer option. This includes offering Electronic Stability Control (ESC), side head impact protection systems and three-point belts as standard on all trims. Also, GNCAP appreciated Tata’s decision  to offer rear-facing ISOFIX child seat points as it is much safer. 

The Tata Punch is slated for its launch on October 18, 2021. It’s likely to be priced from Rs 5.5 lakh, putting it in the same league as the Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Mahindra KUV100 Nxt, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, Renault Kiger, and Nissan Magnite. Out of all these models, the Punch has the best crash test rating.