Autocar India

Renault Duster vs Tata Sierra: Bharat NCAP crash test comparison

Detailed reports of the midsize SUV rivals highlight differences in their adult and child safety performance.
2 min read22 Apr '26
Uday SinghUday Singh
38K+ views
Duster vs Sierra BNCAP

The Renault Duster and Tata Sierra are two of the latest models to be crash tested by the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP), and both have secured 5-star safety ratings across all variants. While that is an impressive result for both midsize SUVs, a closer look at their detailed test reports reveals some differences in adult and child protection. Keep reading to find out more.

Renault Duster vs Tata Sierra BNCAP: Results and scores

Duster has a higher COP score, but Sierra leads in AOP

Duster vs Sierra BNCAP ratings and scores
Duster
Sierra
Adult safety
5/5
5/5
Adult occupant protection
30.49/32
31.14/32
Child safety
5/5
5/5
Child occupant protection
45/49
44.73/49

Both the Duster and Sierra have received full 5 stars for adult and child safety, so there is no real difference on the face of it. However, the Sierra has a slight advantage in adult occupant protection (AOP), scoring 31.14/32 against the Duster’s 30.49. The tables turn in child occupant protection (COP), where the Duster leads with 45/49, compared to the Sierra’s 44.73.

Renault Duster vs Tata Sierra BNCAP: AOP

Sierra did better in frontal offset deformable barrier test

Sierra BNCAP
Duster BNCAP

The detailed AOP reports show that both the Sierra and the Duster are very strong performers, with full marks in the side movable deformable barrier test and an ‘OK’ rating in the side pole impact test. However, the main difference comes in the frontal offset deformable barrier test, where the Tata SUV scored 15.14 out of 16, and the Duster received 14.49. The Sierra also provided better protection for the driver’s feet, rated ‘Good’, while the Duster was found to be ‘Adequate’ in this area.

Renault Duster vs Tata Sierra BNCAP: COP

Duster leads in 18-month child frontal impact

Duster vs Sierra COP results and scores
Duster
Sierra
Dynamic
24/ 24
23.73/ 24
CRS installation
12/ 12
12/ 12
Vehicle assessment
9/ 13
9/ 13

The child occupant protection scores of the two rivals are very close. As stated earlier, the Renault SUV received 45 out of 49, while the Sierra scored 44.73. Both SUVs got full 12 marks in CRS installation, and their vehicle assessment scores were also identical at 9 out of 13.

The difference comes in the dynamic score, where the Duster got a full 24 out of 24, while the Sierra scored 23.73. In the 18-month-old child protection test, where the Duster received a full 8 out of 8 in the frontal impact, the Sierra managed 7.73; their side impact protection scores were identical at 4 out of 4.

Renault Duster vs Tata Sierra BNCAP: Safety features

Right from their base variants, both the Renault Duster and Tata Sierra come equipped with key safety features such as six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP and ISOFIX child seat mounts. Move up the range, and they add features like a 360-degree camera, a tyre-pressure monitoring system (TPMS), an electric parking brake and a Level 2 ADAS suite.

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