Maruti S-Presso scores three-star safety rating at Global NCAP crash test

Maruti Suzuki S-Presso failed to impress with its safety standards at the Global NCAP crash test. The global vehicle safety rating agency revealed the results of the crash test of Maruti S-Presso on Wednesday. The S-Presso scored a three-star safety rating at the crash test conducted by Global NCAP recently. The S-Presso crash test comes nearly two years after the agency had tested the same model. The earlier one, which was made and sold in South African markets, had scored zero safety ratings. Following Maruti's claim that it meets all safety standards, Global NCAP decided to put the made in India S-Presso to the test this time.

According to the Global NCAP crash test results, the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso scored three stars for adult occupant protection and two stars for child occupant protection. Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Global NCAP, said, “The safety performance of the S-Presso in South Africa has been far from satisfactory and claims of improvement are not reflected in levels of child occupant protection which remain the same as the Indian version we tested in 2020. There has been significant progress with vehicle safety in the Indian market with a welcome requirement for the fitment of six airbags as standard. We hope that Maruti Suzuki will not apply a double standard for the vehicles they sell in Africa compared to those sold in India."

The test result showed that the S-Presso, with dual airbags, offered enough protection to the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck. However, the driver’s chest showed weak protection while his knees showed marginal protection. The safety agency said that the S-Presso put under test offers standard SBR for driver and passenger but does not meet Global NCAP requirement.

As far as child protection is concerned, the Maruti S-Presso offered poor protection to the head and weak protection to the chest. The vehicle tested also did not have three-point seat belts in all seating positions. It scored just two points for child occupant protection.

Earlier, the made in South Africa S-Presso that was tested by Global NCAP, came fitted with two airbags as standard. During the assessment the S-Presso structure demonstrated an unstable performance and the driver’s chest showed a weak protection level, marginally avoiding a two star rating. Levels of child occupant protection showed the same performance as the version sold in India. The lack of ISOFIX anchorages, lack of a three-point belt in all seating positions and the decision of Suzuki Maruti not to recommend a Child Restraint System (CRS) explain this poor child occupant protection score.

The S-Presso, launched in 2019, is a popular offering from Maruti Suzuki and is considered a viable option by many, especially first-time car buyers. While the company says it has SUV-ish proportions, the vehicle may be actually faring well for the price point at which it is offered and the features it gets.