Safety is a much bigger concern among Indian car buyers these days, and to help guide them towards the safest cars currently on sale, the government launched the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) back in 2023. Essentially a domestic adaptation of the long-running Global NCAP with full parity in testing standards, Bharat NCAP has evaluated 21 cars to date.
Listed below are the top five 5-star safety rating cars in India, as tested by Bharat NCAP, ranked in ascending order by their adult occupant protection (AOP) scores. Child occupant protection (COP) scores haven’t been considered in the rankings, as all but one of these cars achieved a 45/49 for the same.
5. Tata Punch EV
AOP score: 31.46/32
Having scored five stars in May 2024, the Punch EV was among the very first electric cars to undergo Bharat NCAP testing. Tata equips the Punch EV with safety features like six airbags, ESP, hill hold control, ISOFIX child seat anchors, rear parking sensors, and tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) as standard.
4. Maruti Victoris
AOP score: 31.66/32
Bharat NCAP announced test results for Maruti’s latest mid-size SUV, the Victoris, on September 3, the same day the Hyundai Creta rival made its official debut. The Maruti Grand Vitara’s sibling has six airbags, 3-point seatbelts with reminders for all passengers, ESC and ISOFIX anchors as standard, though the model tested by BNCAP were the top-spec ZX+ and ZX+(O) trims, which additionally get an ADAS suite. Interestingly, the Maruti Victoris is the only model on the top 5 safest cars in India list that has a lower child occupancy rating of 43/49; the rest all scored 45/49 as mentioned above.
3. Mahindra BE 6
AOP score: 31.97/32
The BE 6 is one of Mahindra’s two debut born-EVs, and it achieved a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating in January 2025. Though the range-topping BE 6 Pack Three trim was tested, the rating applies to the electric SUV’s entire variant portfolio. In terms of standard safety equipment, the BE 6 comes with six airbags, a rear camera, parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), a driver drowsiness detection system, and more.
2. Mahindra XEV 9e
AOP score: 32/32
Mahindra’s other debut born-EV, the XEV 9e, was awarded a 5-star rating in Bharat NCAP crash tests alongside the BE 6. The XEV 9e is the first car on this list to hold a full 32/32 score in AOP, and the variant tested was the top-spec Pack Three, with the rating expectedly extending to the electric coupe SUV’s entire line-up. Safety features like six airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchors, rear disc brakes, and a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) are offered from the base XEV 9e Pack One trim itself.
1. Tata Harrier EV
AOP score: 32/32
The Harrier EV is Tata’s latest electric car and was rated 5 stars in Bharat NCAP testing in June 2025. It’s the second vehicle tested by Bharat NCAP to secure maximum points in AOP, and the Harrier EV comes equipped with six airbags as standard, 3-point seatbelts with reminders for all seats, ESC, ISOFIX child seat anchors, and more.
