Bolero Neo gets 1-star safety rating at Global NCAP. Mahindra reacts

Mahindra Bolero Neo failed to impress at the Global NCAP crash tests held recently, The SUV, which was developed to attract urban buyers, returned with one-star rating from the crash test agency. This is the lowest score any Mahindra SUV have achieved in the recent past. The Bolero Neo model that was tested had two airbags. It scored poorly in both adult and child occupant safety tests.

Global NCAP tested the Mahindra Bolero Neo under the agency's new safety test protocols. The crash test showed it has low protection for adults in frontal crash test. The agency said the SUV has an unstable structure, unstable footwell area, poor feet protection and weak chest protection for front row occupants. The SUV also does not offer side head protection which resulted in poor score.

Mahindra Bolero Neo also scored poorly in child occupant protection test due to lack of 3 point belts in all rows. The test also concluded that bench seats in the middle row pose significant risk to all occupants.

Watch: Bolero Neo, Amaze and Carens undergo crash tests at Global NCAP

Mahindra and Mahindra has reacted to the dismal safety rating of the Bolero Neo. The carmaker issued a statement saying, “The Bolero Neo is the trusted utility vehicle of choice in India, owing to its robust build, highly dependable nature, and its innate capability to handle a variety of usage conditions. Bolero Neo has always complied with safety regulations that have been introduced over time and continues to be fully compliant with the latest Indian safety standards. As we are constantly innovating and improving our vehicles to exceed safety regulations, we want to assure our customers and stakeholders that Mahindra has significantly enhanced safety features in all our recent launches." The carmaker also said that it remains committed to deliver vehicles that ensure highest safety standards and satisfaction of buyers.

Mahindra Bolero Neo SUV comes with safety features like two airbags for the driver and front passenger, seat belt warning, child lock, overspeed warning, speed sensing door lock, anti-theft engine immobilizer and central locking as standard across all variants. The list is rather small compared to Mahindra's other flagship SUVs like XUV300, Thar, Scorpio-N or XUV700.

Mahindra is known to manufacture robust SUVs which usually return with good safety ratings. Previously, Mahindra XUV700 and Scorpio-N secured five-star safety rating at the Global NCAP. The third Mahindra SUV to score overall five-star safety rating at Global NCAP is the sub-compact XUV300. It was among the first models from the carmaker to have secured highest safety rating at the crash tests. Mahindra's iconic adventure SUV Thar secured a four-star safety rating for both adult and child occupants at the Global NCAP crash tests.