India's Safest, Affordable 7 Seat Cars Ranked: Tata Safari Leads
Fuel efficiency was and still is one of the major factors that a customer looks for when buying a car in India. Apart from fuel efficiency, people are also considering the build quality and safety ratings of vehicles. One more trend that we have been noticing among buyers lately is that they are slowly opting for 7-seater cars because they are practical for big Indian families and are often available at affordable prices. Here we have a list of such 7-seater cars available in India that are not only affordable but also among the safest.
Tata, over the years, has become one of the most popular and leading car manufacturers in India. They have several vehicles in their lineup, mostly SUVs. Their current flagship is the Safari, which is a seven-seater SUV that is quite popular among customers for its looks and features.
The Tata Safari is available with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine that generates 170 PS and 280 Nm of torque, and a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine that generates 170 PS and 350 Nm of torque. Both petrol and diesel versions are available with manual and automatic transmission options. The price for the Tata Safari starts at Rs 13.29 lakh, ex-showroom, and goes up to Rs 26.15 lakh, ex-showroom.
Like most Tata models, the Safari was also sent to the Bharat NCAP crash test. The SUV secured 30.08 points out of 32 in adult occupant safety and 44.54 points out of 49 in child occupant safety.
Toyota has also made it to the list of the safest 7-seaters in India. The company offers the Innova Hycross in both petrol and strong hybrid versions. It is one of the most popular MPVs in the country, following the Innova and Innova Crysta. The Innova Hycross is expected to replace the Crysta completely next year, and Toyota is also planning to introduce a more affordable strong hybrid version for the fleet market. The price for the Innova Hycross starts at Rs 18.70 lakh, ex-showroom, and goes up to Rs 31.84 lakh, ex-showroom.
The Toyota Innova Hycross was tested by Bharat NCAP and received a 5-star safety rating. It scored 30.47 points out of 32 in adult occupant safety and 45 points out of 49 in child occupant safety.
The Maruti Suzuki Invicto is essentially a rebadged version of the Innova Hycross. It is slightly more affordable because Maruti does not offer all the features available in the Hycross. The price for the Invicto starts at Rs 24.97 lakh, ex-showroom, and goes up to Rs 28.61 lakh, ex-showroom.
Just like the Hycross, the Invicto also scored a 5-star rating in the Bharat NCAP crash test. It scored 30.43 out of 32 points in adult occupant safety and 45 out of 49 points in child occupant safety.
Mahindra is known for its rugged SUVs, and the Scorpio N is no different. It is a ladder-frame SUV that can handle a fair bit of off-roading and performs well on the road. It is available with both petrol and diesel engine options, and only select diesel variants get 4x4. Mahindra is also working on a facelift for the Scorpio N, and the same has been spotted testing. The price for the Mahindra Scorpio N starts at Rs 13.49 lakh, ex-showroom, and goes all the way up to Rs 24.95 lakh.
This seven-seater SUV from Mahindra is also a sturdy vehicle. It was sent to Global NCAP for crash testing and scored a full 5-star rating. In the test, the Scorpio N scored 29.25 points out of 34 in adult occupant safety and 28.93 points out of 49 in child occupant safety.
Another Mahindra on this list is the Mahindra XUV 7XO. There are no official crash test scores available for the 7XO as it has not been tested yet. However, it is essentially a facelift of the XUV700, which was tested by Global NCAP earlier. Both vehicles are mechanically and structurally the same, with differences mainly in cosmetic updates and added features. The price for the XUV 7XO starts at Rs 13.66 lakh, ex-showroom, and goes up to Rs 24.92 lakh, ex-showroom.
In the Global NCAP crash test, the Mahindra XUV700 scored 16.03 points out of 17 in adult occupant safety and 41.66 out of 49 points in child occupant safety. It should be noted that the XUV700 was tested under older guidelines, and the XUV 7XO, with updated safety features, is expected to perform even better under current norms.
Mahindra also has the XEV 9S, which is a seven-seater electric version of the XUV 7XO, but it has not undergone any crash tests yet. It is expected to perform well as it is based on Mahindra’s Born Electric platform, similar to the BE6 and XEV 9E.