The Mahindra XUV300 has won Global NCAP’s first-ever Safer Choice award. According to Global NCAP, this is an accolade for cars (and their respective carmakers) that provide the highest levels of safety.

This award comes close on the heels of the XUV300 bagging a 5-star Global NCAP rating for adult occupant protection and four stars for child occupant protection last month. Mahindra’s compact SUV scored the highest combined occupant safety rating for any made-in-India car tested by Global NCAP to date.

Mahindra submitted the XUV300 for further Global NCAP conformity tests after that, with the model meeting both pedestrian protection and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) requirements for the Safer Choice award.

Global NCAP announced the award challenge at the Auto Expo in 2018. To win this award, a car must achieve a 5-star score for adult occupant protection and a minimum of four stars in child occupant protection. Additionally, it must have ESC (at least as an option for all variants) and also meet pedestrian protection norms.

Speaking about the Safer Choice award for Mahindra XUV300, David Ward, CEO and president of Global NCAP said, “This is a historic moment for Mahindra and the Indian auto industry, marking a tipping point in vehicle safety performance for the country. After setting our Safer Choice award challenge in 2018, it is deeply satisfying to see an Indian automaker taking a lead on safety in this way.”

Besides the XUV300, the Tata Nexon and the Tata Altroz are the only other made-in-India, sold-in-India models to have received a 5-star adult occupant protection rating in the Global NCAP crash tests.