Kia Seltos vs Tata Sierra: Which is the safer car as per Bharat NCAP ratings?

With both SUVs securing top marks in crash testing, the latest Bharat NCAP results put two prominent mid-size contenders, the Kia Seltos and Tata Sierra under the spotlight. While both models earn a full five-star rating for adult and child occupant protection, a closer look at the detailed scores reveals a narrow but notable edge for the Seltos.

Seltos edges ahead on overall scores

The Kia Seltos posts an Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) score of 31.70 out of 32, slightly ahead of the Tata Sierra’s 31.14. A similar trend continues in Child Occupant Protection (COP), where the Seltos records 45 out of 49 points, compared to the Sierra’s 44.73. Although the margins are slim, they position the Seltos as the marginally stronger performer on paper.

Adult safety: Marginal gains in frontal protection

The difference in adult safety ratings primarily stems from the frontal offset deformable barrier test. Here, the Seltos manages to secure a higher score, thanks to more consistent protection levels across key body regions.

While the Seltos delivers ‘good’ protection to most critical areas—with only the driver’s lower legs rated ‘adequate,’ the Sierra shows a slight compromise in chest protection for the driver, along with ‘adequate’ ratings for parts of the lower limbs. Given the importance of chest safety in high-impact collisions, this plays a key role in the score gap.

In side-impact scenarios, however, both SUVs perform equally well, offering ‘good’ protection across all major regions in both the movable barrier and pole tests.

Child safety: Near-identical, but not equal

In child occupant protection, both SUVs demonstrate strong credentials with identical scores in CRS installation (12/12) and vehicle assessment (9/13). The distinction arises in the dynamic crash tests.

The Seltos achieves a perfect 24/24 in dynamic testing, whereas the Sierra drops marginally to 23.73. This difference comes from the frontal impact test involving the 18-month-old dummy, where the Sierra loses a fraction of points, while the Seltos retains a full score. Performance with the 3-year-old dummy remains flawless for both vehicles.

Safety features: No compromises from either side

Feature-wise, both SUVs are evenly matched. Standard safety equipment includes six airbags, electronic stability aids, a 360-degree camera, parking sensors at both ends, TPMS, and disc brakes on all wheels. Additionally, both models are equipped with Level-2 ADAS capabilities, alongside features like hill start assist and descent control.

There’s little to separate the two when it comes to overall safety credentials, both the Seltos and Sierra are among the safest offerings in the segment. However, the Kia Seltos manages to pull ahead by a small margin, thanks to slightly better scores in both adult and child protection tests.

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