Kia Syros vs XUV 3XO: Bharat NCAP Results Compared

Will the Kia Syros become India’s new standard for safety in sub-4m SUVs? Let’s use the Bharat NCAP results to compare between Kia Syros vs XUV 3XO.

Two of the most promising sub-4m SUVs available in India right now are the Mahindra XUV 3XO and the Kia Syros. After undergoing Bharat NCAP crash testing, both models received a 5-star rating. The XUV 3XO was assessed earlier in 2024, but the Syros was only recently tested. Which SUV, however, is the best at protecting its occupants? Let’s investigate.

Kia Syros Bharat NCAP Tests

The Kia Syros provided “good” protection for most of the driver’s body parts in the frontal offset deformable barrier test; only the chest and both tibias were deemed to have “adequate” protection. All parts of the front passenger were assessed as “good,” except the right tibia, which received a score of “adequate.”

Overall, the Syros provided “good” protection in side impact and pole impact tests. In the frontal impact test, the Syros received a score of 7.84 out of 8 for the 3-year-old dummy and 7.58 out of 8 for the 18-month-old dummy in the COP tests. For both dummies, the SUV received a perfect score of four out of four for side impact protection.

Mahindra XUV 3XO Bharat NCAP Tests

In contrast, the Mahindra XUV 3XO received a score of 13.36 out of 16 points, which was marginally lower than the Syros’, although it provided “good” protection for the majority of the locations in the frontal offset deformable barrier test. It provided “good” protection for the majority of the driver’s and co-driver’s vital body parts. Nonetheless, “adequate” protection was noted for the driver’s right tibia, foot, and chest. The left tibia received a “marginal” rating. It is understandable why the XUV 3XO performs worse than the Syros in terms of AOP, given that the driver has less protection.

In the side movable deformable barrier test, the XUV 3XO received full marks, matching the Syros. In side pole impact tests, it provided “good” protection for all of the driver’s parts. The 18-month-old and 3-year-old dummies both received perfect scores of 8 out of 8 for frontal collision protection and 4 out of 4 for side impact protection from the XUV 3XO.

Kia Syros vs XUV 3XO: Which is best?

Despite both subcompact SUVs having a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating, the Kia Syros has outperformed the XUV 3XO by a small percentage.

The Syros outperformed the XUV 3XO by a small margin in AOP. This is primarily because, while several fake components in the XUV 3XO were evaluated as sufficient and mediocre, the Syros provided superior protection for its passengers. Both automobiles would need to provide stronger lower-leg and chest protection if they wanted to raise their scores any higher. 

In the COP dynamic test, the XUV 3XO received a perfect score of 24 out of 24; however, the Syros failed the front and side crash tests using dummies. But in terms of overall COP score, the Syros was able to outperform the XUV 3XO. Syros’s superior vehicle assessment score of 9 out of 13 over the XUV 3XO’s 7 out of 13 is primarily responsible for this advantage.

Both SUVs, however, fared similarly well in terms of side impact protection, scoring a perfect 16 out of 16 in the side moveable deformable barrier test and providing good protection in all important locations in the side pole impact test.

Available Safety Features

Six airbags (standard), a 360-degree camera with a blind spot monitor, electronic stability control (ESC), an electronic parking brake with auto-hold, and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) are all part of the Kia Syros’ safety suite.

As standard, the Mahindra XUV 3XO has six airbags, a 360-degree camera with a blind spot monitor, traction control, ESC with hill hold and descent control, 3-point seatbelts with seatbelt reminders for every seat, and all-wheel disc brakes.

Note that Level-2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are also installed in both of these sub-4m SUVs.

Cost and Competitors

The Kia Syros is more expensive than any of its competitors in the subcompact SUV market, including the Mahindra XUV 3XO, and markets itself as one of the more high-end models.

Car Details	Price
The Kia Syros	Between Rs. 9 lakh and Rs. 17.80 lakh
The Mahindra XUV 3XO	From 7.99 lakh to 15.56 lakh rupees

What is Bharat NCAP?

The official New Car Assessment Program in India is called the Bharat New Car Assessment Program, or Bharat NCAP. Based on their safety performance, cars sold throughout the nation will be rated with stars. The plans created by the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project it was implemented in stages. It was established by the Indian government and is the tenth NCAP globally.

The program was supposed to commence in the middle of 2014, however it was delayed until 2017. Later, it was shelved until August 2023, when it was ultimately launched. New cars sold in India will have to meet optional star ratings based on crash safety performance tests within two years of the program’s implementation. 

Kia Syros vs Mahindra XUV 3XO’s Quick Analysis:

Parameters	Kia Syros	Mahindra XUV 3XO
Adult safety rating	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) score	30.21 / 32 Points	29.36 / 32 Points
Frontal Offset Deformable Barrier Test score	14.21 / 16 Points	13.36 / 16 Points
Side Movable Deformable Barrier Test Score	16 / 16 Points	16 / 16 Points
Child safety rating	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Child Occupant Protection (COP) score	44.42 / 49 Points	43 / 49 Points
Child safety dynamic score	23.42 / 24 Points	24 / 24 Points
CRS installation score	12 / 12 Points	12 / 12 Points
Vehicle assessment score	9 / 13 Points	7 / 13 Points

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