Indian Kia Seltos scores 3 stars in Global NCAP crash tests

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Bodyshell integrity: unstable; footwell area: unstable

The Kia Seltos, yes, the same “Badass” car which has sold more than 120,000 units in India just for the way it looks, has scored a disappointing 3 stars in the adult occupant category of Global NCAP crash tests. The child occupant rating of 2 stars is even more disappointing.

Surprisingly, the Seltos’ bodyshell integrity has been rated unstable despite the manufacturer claiming to be using multiple high-strength steels in its construction.

The tested model was equipped with dual front airbags, 4-channel ABS, and front seatbelt pretentioners.

Adult Occupant
In the adult occupant category, the report said that the protection offered to the driver and passenger head was adequate, while the neck protection was good. The driver’s chest showed marginal protection, while passenger chest protection was good. Driver and passenger knees showed marginal protection as they could impact with dangerous structures behind the dashboard supported by the Tranfascia tube. Driver tibias showed weak and adequate protection while passenger’s tibias showed good and adequate protection, the report added.

However, as mentioned, the bodyshell integrity was rated as unstable and it was not capable of withstanding further loadings. The footwell area was rated as unstable as well.

Child Occupant
As for the child occupant category, the report said that the child seat for a 3-year-old was installed FWF with the adult belt and it was not able to prevent excessive forward movement during the impact while offering poor protection to the head as it contacted with the interior of the car. The chest showed good protection. The car does not offer 3 point belts in all seating positions and it does not offer ISOFIX anchorages, which resulted in its low ranking. Download the full report here.

Interestingly, the Australian-spec Kia Seltos had scored 5 stars in ANCAP crash tests last year. You know what? the Vitara Brezza, which is a smaller and significantly cheaper SUV in India, had secured a 4 star GNCAP rating in 2018.