Safety scandal: Popular Maruti model fails crash test, rating reveals shocking truth

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Maruti Suzuki cars are maintaining a strong hold in the Indian market. Recently, the company has improved the safety rating of some of its cars and they have also received 5-star rating, but the company's best-selling car 'WagonR' is still under the scanner in terms of safety. The surprising thing is that despite the poor safety rating, this 'tall boy' hatchback is being sold in large numbers. People are ignoring its safety flaws due to its mileage and low price.

Over 14,000 vehicles were sold in November

According to Rushlane data, WagonR sales saw a significant jump in November 2025. A total of 14,619 WagonR units were sold this month, compared to 13,982 units in the same month last year, i.e., November 2024. This represents a year-on-year growth of 4.56 percent. These sales figures demonstrate the car's continued popularity among Indian middle-class families.

Safety Rating: 1 star for adult and 0 star for child

While this car is setting new sales records, it lags far behind in terms of passenger safety. While the car hasn't yet been tested in the India NCAP (BNCAP), the WagonR's performance in the 2023 Global NCAP (GNCAP) crash test was dismal. In that test, the car received just one star rating for adult occupant safety and a zero star rating for child safety, which is a concern for any family car.

Price and competition

The Maruti Suzuki WagonR starts at ₹4,98,900 (ex-showroom), going up to ₹6,94,900 (ex-showroom) for the top-spec model. In the Indian market, it competes directly with the Tata Tiago and Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. While the Tata Tiago is priced starting at ₹4,57,490 (approximately ₹4,57,490) and is known for its safety, the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios starts at ₹5,47,278 (approximately ₹5,47,278). Market experts say that while companies like Tata are now emphasizing on safety even in small cars, the lack of safety for Maruti's best-selling car could be risky for customers.