Skoda commissioned study says 90% Indians want car with safety rating

The latest study reveals that 92 percent customers preferred crash tested cars with a high safety rating, followed by number of airbags while fuel efficiency came third

There was a time when ‘Kitna deti hai’ was the first priority while making a car purchase in India. Not any more. As per a latest study and survey commissioned by Skoda Auto India and conducted by NIQ BASES, it has been revealed that 9 out of 10 customers in India want cars with a safety rating.

Skoda currently has the Slavia, Kodiaq, and Kushaq on its company portfolio in India. Of these, Slavia and the Kushaq have been crash tested for the Indian market. Both have scored a 5 star safety rating as per Global NCAP.

Skoda commissioned study – Details

The survey covered 1,000 people in 10 states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. As per the study, crash rating of a car was the primary feature driving car purchases in India followed by number of airbags. Fuel efficiency dropped to the third spot.

This turnaround has also come about due to the higher incidents of road accidents in India. Each year around 1.5 lakh persons die on India roads. This translates to an average of 1130 accidents and 422 deaths every day or 47 accidents and 18 deaths every hour.

The survey had people in the 18-54 age group out of which 80 percent were male respondents and 20 percent female. 67 percent included current car owners who owned a car above Rs 5 lakh while 33 percent did not own cars but intended to make purchases in the next year. 92 percent of those surveyed stated that they want crash tested cars with 22.2 percent preferring 5 star safety rating, 21.3 percent preferring 4 star rating and crash rating with 0 start was at only 6.8 percent.

47.6 percent surveyors stated that safety was of more priority over features offered in the vehicle. 30 percent surveyors opined that separate child/rear occupant safety was of importance while fuel efficiency was lower down the order of customer demands with a 15 percent score.

India’s Crash Test Rating

Though India does not have a standardized crash test rating system, the government has actively promoted car safety by making multiple features as standard in recent years. We will soon have our own safety rating system called Bharat NCAP. Until then, we have to rely on crash test ratings provided by independent agencies like Global NCAP.

G-NCAP rates vehicles from zero to five based on their safety features on offer as standard as well as how the vehicle performs during a crash. Vehicles are assessed based on adult and child safety and cars with a higher rating are considered safer for occupants. Global NCAP’s crash test norms include assessments of frontal and side impact protection along with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and pedestrian protection.