Swift, Wagon R, Creta: still no Bharat NCAP crash rating

Who is missing from the list

Bharat NCAP has been running crash tests on Indian cars since December 2023. As of 7 November 2026 it had rated 37 cars, and 32 of them walked away with five stars for both adult occupant protection and child occupant protection, according to an analysis by Transclew of the programme's record.

What stands out is who has not sent a car in. Maruti Suzuki's Swift, Wagon R, Ertiga and Fronx have no Bharat NCAP rating. Neither do the Hyundai Creta and i20, the Mahindra Scorpio N and Bolero, the Kia Sonet, the Honda City and Elevate, or any JSW MG model. These are not niche cars. Maruti Suzuki alone held 41.75 percent of India's passenger vehicle market in October 2026, yet it has entered only a handful of its range for the test.

Some of these cars do carry ratings, just not from Bharat NCAP. The Fronx has not been tested by Bharat NCAP or Global NCAP, Spinny's safety rating page for the car confirms, but it holds a 1 star from Australia's ANCAP and 4 stars from Japan NCAP, on versions built to those markets' own safety equipment. An Indian buyer reading "4 stars" online may not realise that number has nothing to do with the car sold here.

Why testing is voluntary

Bharat NCAP works differently from Euro NCAP or the older Global NCAP programme that still rates some Indian cars. A manufacturer submits a model for testing and pays for it. The government's own rulebook allows it to step in and order a test only "in the interest of public safety", and it has rarely used that power. There is no requirement that every model sold in India, or even every model from a top selling brand, go through the test.

That is why cars that sell in hundreds of thousands a year, like the Swift and the Creta, sit next to a Bharat NCAP record built mostly from newer or pricier models such as the Mahindra XUV 7XO, the Tata Punch EV, the Tata Sierra and the Kia Seltos, all of which have scored five stars, according to Autocar India's running list of every car Bharat NCAP has tested.

What it means for a buyer

If a model you are looking at has no Bharat NCAP badge, that does not automatically mean it is unsafe. It means nobody has paid to find out, under the rules used in India. A Euro NCAP, Global NCAP, ANCAP or Japan NCAP score for the same name is tested on a different car built for a different market, with different standard equipment, and should not be read as a stand in. For now, the only way to compare safety across the models that matter most to Indian buyers is to wait for carmakers to submit them, or to ask a dealer directly whether a Bharat NCAP test is planned.

Sources

• Bharat NCAP crash test ratings explained, Transclew
• Every car crash tested by Bharat NCAP so far, Autocar India
• Maruti Suzuki Fronx Safety Rating, Spinny