9 out of 10 car buyers want a safe car: Survey

In recent times, safety has emerged as a crucial factor in car buying decisions. The remarkable growth of Tata Motors, known for its emphasis on offering excellent safety levels and impressive crash test ratings, attests to this trend. Skoda Auto India, another automaker that places a high priority on safety in its offerings, has conducted a survey revealing that nine out of ten car buyers in India prioritize safety when purchasing a new car.

This survey, conducted by NIQ Bases and commissioned by Skoda, gathered the opinions of the Indian car buying audience. Alongside factors like cost of purchase and fuel efficiency, the study demonstrated that crash test ratings and the number of airbags have become decisive factors for Indian car buyers. Such is the popularity of these aspects that fuel efficiency now ranks as the third most important consideration for Indian car buyers.

The survey encompassed respondents, of which 67 percent were car owners who had vehicles valued at over Rs 5 lakh. The remaining 33 percent were potential buyers planning to purchase a car worth over Rs 5 lakh within a year. The surveyed individuals fell within the age group of 18 to 54 years, with 80 percent being male and the remaining 20 percent being female.

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According to the survey, a car’s crash test rating carried an importance score of 22.3 percent, while the number of airbags held an importance score of 21.6 percent. Fuel efficiency received an importance score of 15 percent. Customer preference for cars with 5-star crash test ratings stood at 22.2 percent, while cars with 4-star crash test ratings had a preference of 21.3 percent. Cars with 0-star crash test ratings recorded a customer preference of only 6.8 percent.

Safest car in India

Both the Skoda Kushaq and Slavia have achieved a perfect five-star rating in the Global NCAP test. The updated crash test protocols of Global NCAP evaluate the front and side impact protection of the tested models. In addition, vehicles must have Electronic Stability Control (ESC), pedestrian protection, and side impact pole protection to receive a full five-star rating.

According to Global NCAP, both vehicles provided good protection for the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck. The driver’s chest showed adequate protection, while the passenger’s chest showed good protection. The driver’s and passenger’s knees also received good protection. These results highlight the high level of safety offered by the Skoda Kushaq and Slavia in terms of crash protection.

Skoda is one of the car manufacturers in India that has consistently prioritized safety in its product lineup. Known for offering robust and well-built cars such as the Octavia, Superb, Yeti, Fabia, Rapid, and Karoq, Skoda currently offers the Slavia, Kushaq, and Kodiaq models in India. Among these, the Slavia and Kushaq have been specifically developed for India as part of the company’s MQB-A0-IN strategy. Both cars have already achieved 5-star ratings in crash tests, establishing them as two of the safest cars available in India.

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