Why 2-Star Rating for Kwid is not Good News?

Renault Kwid is one of the cheapest new cars you can buy in the Indian market. However, Renault like other carmakers also produce a car in India and export them to be sold in the international market. We have many times seen the same car sold internationally perform poor in India in terms of safety due to lack of appropriate rules and less awareness. Find out below why the 2-star rating for the Renault Kwid is bad.

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Also Read: Renault Kwid RXL 1.0 launched

The main cause of concern is that the Renault Kwid which scored a 2-star rating in recent Global NCAP tests was the South-African only version of the car. Standard safety rules are much higher there, leading to better safety even in low-end cars. The main difference in terms of post-crash safety is that the Indian Renault Kwid only comes with one driver airbag, while the SA-spec comes with two airbags.

Also read: Top 10 Safest Cars in India November 2020

Apart from the airbags, the South African Kwid also gets seat belt reminder and 4-channel ABS as standard fitments while the Indian version does not. The additional features increase the kerb weight of the SA model to 965 kg compared to the India-spec version which weighs 928 kg.

Also read: Safety in Sub-compact SUV segment

More about the test

Global NCAP crash tests reveal that the small car offered adequate protection to the driver’s head, while the passenger’s head had good protection. Both necks show good protection, but the driver’s chest had weak protection. Also, the car’s body structure and footwell area were rated unstable.

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In child occupant protection, the Renault Kwid performed poorly. The 18-month-old child dummy’s head contacted the interior of the car. Also, lack of ISOFIX anchorages and 3-point belts (at all positions) contributed to the 2-star rating for child occupant protection. These are serious concerns for an entry-level hatchback car. The overall build quality of the Renault Kwid is also not the best either.

Conclusion

While the base variant of the Renault Kwid in South Africa does cost significantly more, one extra airbag, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX won’t break the bank of Indian consumers. Companies like Tata and Mahindra, locally-made have proved high price does not equal safety.

Recent Global NCAP crash tests under the Safer Cars For India campaign demonstrated, the government’s regulations can only help the situation to some extent. The main responsibility of making cars safer lies with the automakers. There is no shortcut and the only sustained way to reach there is by consumer awareness. As customers, we should demand safer and better cars. The additional investment associated with a safer car is well worth it if it means you get to live longer, isn’t it?

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