Drive Safe on a Budget : Vehicle safety has become an important factor in purchasing a new car or SUV. As the demand for safer vehicles has gained momentum, the automakers have been well responding to the ongoing trend by making available the wider variety of safety features in recent years. So without any ado, here are the most affordable cars and SUVs in the Indian market with six airbags as an option on select variants or standard across the range.
Maruti Suzuki Celerio
Starting price: Rs 5.64 lakh
India’s most fuel-efficient petrol car, the Maruti Celerio, is also the most affordable six-airbag car on sale. And this is in spite of the update that saw the car go up by as much as Rs 32,500; the Celerio is now priced between Rs 5.64 lakh and Rs 7.37 lakh. It uses a 67hp, 89Nm 1.0-litre petrol and 57hp, 82.1Nm CNG power units. An AMT option is available for the petrol variant.
Hyundai Grand i10 Nios
Starting price: Rs 5.98 lakh
The starting price of the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios ranges from Rs 5.98 lakh to Rs 8.62 lakh, making it not just one of the affordable cars in India, but also one of the few (and the only car in India under Rs 10 lakh) which had been offered with six airbags as standard across variants since the Korean explosives maker made them standard on all variants last October. Rivaling the Tata Tiago and Maruti Swift, the Nios is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine rated at 83hp and 114Nm, paired with 5-speed manual and AMT options. There is also a CNG version available, which comes with a dual-cylinder tank.
Hyundai Exter
Starting price: Rs 6.00 lakh
Hyundai Exter₹6 Lakh because it is India’s cheapest SUV to have six airbags, standard across the entire range. The SUV is available with an 83hp, 114Nm, 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a 5-speed MT and a 5-speed AMT from Hyundai. The Exter also be had with a factory-fit CNG kit.
Nissan Magnite
Starting price: Rs 6.12 lakh
Nissan Magnite (Rs 6.12 lakh) The most affordable SUV on this list. It was recently facelifted and comes with six airbags, three-point seat belts for all passengers, ISOFIX, traction control, TPMS, and hill-start assist as standard. The engines on offer remain, with two 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engines in naturally aspirated (B4D) and turbocharged (HRA0) forms.
Citroen C3
Starting price: Rs 6.16 lakh
Last August, the Maruti Ignis and Tata Punch rival received six airbags in all variants. Citroen C3: Find it between Rs 6.16 lakh and Rs 10.27 lakh, with 82hp, 1.2-litre petrol and 110hp, 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engines available, the latter also getting a 6-speed torque convertor auto option.
Hyundai Aura
Starting price: Rs 6.54 lakh
And like all of the other Hyundais on this list, the Aura also offers six airbags as standard. It is powered by the same 1.2-litre petrol unit as the Exter, i20 and Grand i10 Nios, that comes paired with a 5-speed MT and an optional 5-speed AMT. The Dzire competitor also comes with a CNG option, rivaling the Honda Amaze and Tata Tigor.
Maruti Suzuki Swift
Starting price: Rs 6.49 lakh
Front-end collision tests have seen improvements as well, while all four variants of the new fourth-gen Maruti Swift range come with six airbags as standard. The new Gen is powered by the new 1.2-litre, three-cylinder Z series engine, which in its segment-class leading efficiency can do up to 25.75kpl (depending on if you get the manual or the AMT ‘box). The Swift is also offered in CNG form, and is priced from Rs 6.49 lakh to Rs 9.50 lakh.
Maruti Dzire
Starting price: Rs 6.84 lakh
The new Dzire managed a segment-first 5-star safety rating in the GNCAP crash tests, making it the first Maruti model to achieve the top score. For context, the earlier-gen third-gen Dzire scored 2 stars in GNCAP. Similarly to the Swift hatchback, which is also the Dzire’s sibling, the compact sedan features six safety airbags across nine variants. The basic 82hp, 1.2-litre Z Series engine, along with gearbox options and the option of a CNG equivalent, is directly carried over from the Swift. 2nd-gen Maruti Dzire price ranges between Rs 6.84 lakh and Rs 10.19 lakh
Hyundai i20
Starting price: Rs 7.04 lakh
Hyundai i20 (Six airbags as standard) The new Hyundai i20 comes with six airbags as standard. It engines are limited to just one: an 83hp, 115Nm, 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol unit paired to a 5-speed manual transmission or an optional CVT. Hyundai’s rival to the Toyota Glanza and Maruti Baleno that is currently priced anywhere between Rs 7.04 lakh and 11.25 lakh.
Skoda Kylaq
Starting price: Rs 7.89 lakh
Skoda Kyla: This is the cheapest Skoda (with a 6 airbag option) on sale in India. Besides, the top-end variant also includes ESC, traction control, three-point seat belts, adjustable head restraints for all the seats and ISOFIX child seat mounts for the rear seats. Importantly, the Kylaq shares the same MQB-A0-IN platform with the Skoda Kushaq and Slavia, both of which were rated 5-spath by Global NCAP, as well as the 115hp, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine. Pricing for Kylaq starts from Rs 7.89 lakh, but top-spec automatic is priced at Rs 14.40 lakh.
Hyundai Venue
Starting price: Rs 7.94 lakh
Similar to all other Hyundai models, the Hyundai Venue comes with six airbags standard across all variants. The SUV is offered with three engine options: 83hp, 1.2-litre petrol; 120hp, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol; 116hp, 1.5-litre diesel. The Venue’s prices range between Rs 7.94 lakh and Rs 13.97 lahk, although this includes the prices of the Venue N Line.
Kia Sonet
Starting price: Rs 7.99 lakh
Kia also follows suit with the Sonet which is equipped with six airbags across variants similar to its cousin the Hyundai Venue. They come with a price tag ranging from Rs 7.99 lakh to Rs 15.75 lakh. The Sonet also offers additional standard safety features, including ESC, VSM, hill-start assist control, emergency stop signal and a TPMS among others.
Mahindra XUV 3XO
Starting price: Rs 7.99 lakh
The Mahindra XUV 3XO has six airbags as standard when it made its return to the market as XUV300. It is priced between Rs 7.99 lakh and Rs 15.56 lakh. It is offered with a 111hp, 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine; a 131hp, 1.2-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol unit; and a 117hp, 1.5-litre diesel option. This somehow is a compact SUV, recently awarded 5-star Bharat NCAP safe car.
Tata Nexon
Starting price: Rs 7.99 lakh
The Tata Nexon is another compact SUV that offers six airbags as standard. It will compete with the XUV 3XO, Venue, Sonet, and Brezza and is priced from Rs 7.99 lakh-15. 60 lakh and comes with 1.2-litre turbo-petrol (120hp) and 1.5-litre diesel (115hp) engine options. Petrol engine has 5-speed manual, 5-speed manual, AMT and dual-clutch auto gearbox as options while the diesel has 6-speed manual and AMT options. It is also sold in the CNG version.
Honda Amaze
Starting price: Rs 8.10 lakh
Other than its usual six airbags, however, one of the notable safety updates on the new Honda Amaze is a segment-first, Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) suite available on the top variant. The camera-based advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) feature pack includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, autonomous emergency banking, and blind-spot monitor, among others. Under the hood, the Honda Amaze features a 90hp, 1.2-litre petrol engine, available with manual and CVT options; prices for the compact sedan start from Rs 8.10 lakh-11. 20 lakh.
Citroen Basalt
Starting price: Rs 8.25 lakh
Safety features such as six airbags, ESP, hill hold assist and a tyre pressure monitor are offered across the Basalt coupe SUV range. Set to compete with the Tata Curvv, Basalt will be available with two petrol engines: a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated unit with a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 1.2-litre turbo unit that comes with both manual and automatic gearbox options. The Basalt range price starts from Rs 8.25 lakh to Rs 13.99 lakh.
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