New Kia Seltos Is Safer Than The Tata Sierra As Per Bharat NCAP Crash Test Result, Check Out The Comparison In Detail

The new Kia Seltos has recently been crash tested by Bharat NCAP, where it scored a full five-star safety rating with commendable scores across several key parameters. In fact, the Kia Seltos achieved the highest test scores for any ICE car to be tested so far. Hence, this led us to put the Seltos, one of the prime rivals, the Tata Sierra’s crash test scores in contention to see where the latter stands. Do note that the Tata Sierra also secured a five-star safety rating. Let’s compare:

Bharat NCAP Crash Test Ratings And Scores Compared

Here are the Bharat NCAP crash test scores and ratings of both the Kia Seltos and Tata Sierra:

New Kia Seltos Crash Test Result

The 2026 Kia Seltos performed strongly in Bharat NCAP crash tests, delivering ‘good’ protection for the driver’s and passenger’s head, neck, chest, thighs, and pelvis in the 64 kmph frontal impact, with the co-driver’s tibias also rated ‘good’; however, the driver’s left tibia and both feet received ‘adequate’ protection. In the 50 kmph side impact and the more severe side pole test, the SUV provided ‘good’ protection to all body regions. 

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For child safety, it achieved a perfect 12/12 score for both 18-month-old and 3-year-old occupants, with the younger child secured in a rearward-facing CRS, though detailed breakdowns of head, chest, and neck protection for children were limited in the Bharat NCAP report.

Tata Sierra Crash Test Result

The Sierra delivered an impressive Bharat NCAP performance, scoring 31.14/32 for adult occupant protection and securing a full 5-star rating, with dummies showing ‘good’ to ‘adequate’ protection for the chest, tibias, and knees, and ‘good’ protection for the feet. It achieved 15.14/16 in the frontal offset deformable test, a perfect 16/16 in the side movable deformable barrier test, and successfully passed the side pole impact test. 

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For child occupant protection, another 5-star rating, including an almost perfect 23.73/24 in dynamic tests and a full 12/12 for CRS installation, highlighting secure child seat fitment. Additionally, it scored 9/13 in vehicle assessment while providing highly effective protection for both 18-month-old and 3-year-old child dummies.

Takeaways

On paper, both the Kia Seltos and the Tata Sierra are now genuinely safe 5-star choices, so you’re not compromising either way. The Seltos proving slightly better on paper is significant, while the Sierra continues to benefit from Tata’s strong safety image. In practical terms, safety is not the core deciding factor between these two, so your choice should come down to things like features, driving experience, comfort, and brand preference rather than crash test scores alone. Check out a detailed comparison of these two compact SUVs here.

Safety Features Onboard

Both the Kia Seltos and the Tata Sierra offer a mutual set of great safety features like six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), all-wheel disc brakes, ISOFIX child seat mounts and tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). They also get 360-degree cameras and Level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features as well.

Price & Rivals

Here is the price range of both compact SUVs, for your reference:

If you’re looking in the segment of Seltos and Sierra, the other options are Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta, Toyota Hyryder, Maruti Grand Vitara, Maruti Victoris, Tata Curvv, Citroen Basalt, Skoda Kushaq Facelift, MG Astor, Honda Elevate, and the upcoming Volkswagen Taigun Facelift.