Kia Carens Improves Safety Rating in Global NCAP Retest, Earns 3 Stars

The Kia Carens has been retested by Global NCAP, a leading body to test cars for safety. The car was awarded a zero-star rating in its first test under new, more stringent processes in 2022.

Second Time Success

The 3-star rating in the retest may seem like a small step forward. However, the background carries a lot of significance. The Carens was thoroughly tested in the voluntary offer, initiated by the company, following the poor performance of its first test. This test was on cars produced after December 11th, 2023, which had the benefits of changes to the restraint systems. This time, it was the driver's neck, chest, and knees for which the restraint systems were allegedly insufficient, resulting in a zero-star rating for Adult Occupancy Protection (AOP) for Carens models between May 2nd, 2023 and December 11th, 2023.

Kia Reacts and Boosts

The first test results were poor protection for the driver's neck, chest, and knees. This translated into a zero-star rating for Adult Occupancy Protection (AOP) for Carens models produced between May 2nd, 2023, and December 11th, 2023.

Happily for the company, this did not go well with it. In a swift follow-up, the improved restraint systems in the retested Carens (December 2023 onwards) gave a massive boost to the AOP score to 22.07 out of a maximum 34, giving a 3-star rating. Global NCAP, however, considered this score as falling short of expectations, given the fact that the Carens comes with six airbags as standard.

Body Structure and Child Safety

The bodyshell of the Carens received a score of "unstable" in frontal crash tests, and that means it cannot bear more impact force. Overall, the Carens rated 3 stars, and a side pole test was therefore not carried out. On the good side, the Carens has standard seat belt reminders in the front row, and it has pending seat belt reminders for the second row.

On the flip side, the Carens' COP test score increased in the retest. The MPV had a 4-star COP rating with a score of 40.92 out of 49. With the newly improved restraint systems in place, the 3-year-old dummy took better care, and COP increased to 41/49 and achieved a perfect 5-star rating.

Also Read: The All-New Lexus RX Launched at Rs.95.80 Lakh in India

Standard Safety Features of the Carens

All Carens variants get Kia packing a long list of safety features including six airbags, Electronic Stability Control, rear parking sensors, hill-start assist, rear disc brakes, three-point seatbelts for all occupants, and ISOFIX child seat anchor points.

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