The Kia Carens Gets An Unimpressive Three-star Rating In The Global NCAP Safety Test

The Kia Carens has been crash tested by Global NCAP and has scored unimpressive three out of five stars. This news does come across as a disappointment considering the amount of safety features, like six airbags and ESC, standard across the range. Plus, this is the second Kia after the Seltos to score a dismal score in the crash tests, especially considering its global offerings like the EV6 acing the more stricter Euro NCAP safety test as mentioned by Global NCAP’s secretary below. 

Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Global NCAP said, “Global NCAP welcomes Kia’s decision to make six airbags a standard fit in the Carens ahead of a regulatory requirement. However, we expected a better performance from this model. It remains a cause for concern that global car brands such as Kia, that normally achieve 5 star ratings in other markets, are still not reaching this level in India.”

The Carens secured 9.3 out of 17 in the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and 30.99 out of 49 in the Child Occupant Protection (COP) tests. These scores are better than the Seltos, which secured 8 and 15 points in AOP and COP respectively. That said, like the SUV, the Carens’s body structure and footwell area were rated unstable and can’t withstand further loading. FYI, the Carens was crash tested at 64kmph, standard for all cars by Global NCAP.

Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) 

The Carens offered good protection to the heads and necks of both the front occupants. That said, the protection offered to the chest was marginal for the driver and good for the co-driver. The knees of both the front occupants got only marginal protection as they could come in contact with dangerous structures behind the dashboard. Lastly, the driver’s tibias had adequate and good shielding, while the same for the co-driver is good. Both of the front occupants’ seatbelts got retraction, and, with all of the above reasons, explains the three-star rating for AOP. 

Child Occupant Protection (COP)

The rear-ward facing child seat wasn’t able to prevent excessive head movement for the three-year old dummy, while it was vice versa for the 1.5-year old dummy with a forward-facing seat. Another downer is the fact that the Carens doesn’t get three-point seatbelts for the rear seat occupants, and the ISOFIX markings weren’t up to Global NCAP standards. All of this explains the three-star rating for the Carens’s COP. 

Here’s What Global NCAP Said  

Global NCAP did appreciate the fact that the Carens comes with a long list of standard safety features: six airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchorages, electronic stability control, ABS with EBD, and all four disc brakes. That said, it wished the Carens would have performed better as it has an unstable structure and offered poor protection to the driver’s feet and chest. 

A point to note is that the Carens will be the last vehicle to be tested under Global NCAP’s current standards, which will become more stringent from July. Protocols will be updated to include side impact, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and pedestrian protection requirements. 

Carens Price And Rivals 

The Kia Carens is currently priced from Rs 9.59 lakh (ex-showroom). It locks horns with the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga (pre-facelift 3 Stars in Global NCAP) and Mahindra Marazzo (4 Stars).