Mahindra Scorpio-N, one of India’s safest cars got 5-stars in GNCAP. Why did it get 0-stars in Australasian NCAP?

Mahindra & Mahindra’s Scorpio-N, also known as the Mahindra Scorpio in Australia and New Zealand, has faced a major setback with a 0-star safety rating in the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) crash tests.

This comes as a surprise for many Indian Petrolheads, mainly because the Scorpio-N is one of the safest SUVs plying on Indian roads today. And this is not just us saying that. After all, the Scorpio-N received the much coveted, 5-star rating in the GNCAP or Global New Car Assessment Programme crash tests

Scorpio-N in Australasia
Launched in Australia in April 2023 and in New Zealand in August 2023, the Mahindra Scorpio-N is available in both six-seat and seven-seat variants in these countries. The ANCAP safety rating applies to all versions of the SUV.

ANCAP evaluates vehicles across four key areas: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assists.

The Scorpio-N scored 44 per cent in Adult Occupant Protection, 80 per cent in Child Occupant Protection, 23 per cent in Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 0 per cent in Safety Assists, in the ANCAP crash tests. Here, the absence of ADAS features really hurt the score of the car, and failed it automatically.

Why the Scorpio-N failed in the ANCAP test?
The disparity in safety ratings is attributed to the stricter testing protocols employed by ANCAP, which mandate the inclusion of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support system (LSS). These features are currently unavailable in the Scorpio-N.

Australian safety regulations mandate the inclusion of ADAS features in all passenger and commercial vehicles. The Mahindra Scorpio-N currently lacks these features, because of which, it scored a 0 in Safety Assists, and just 23 per cent in Vulnerable Road User Protection. Since it did not score anything in one category, and had a very low score in another category, the car failed the test.

Also, as per ANCAP, the Mahindra Scorpio-N is equipped with dual frontal, side chest-protecting, and side head-protecting airbags as standard. However, the side head-protecting airbags do not extend to protect occupants in the third row, and a centre airbag to prevent occupant-to-occupant interaction is not available.

Indian customers need not be worried
In an official statement, Mahindra emphasized its commitment to safety, highlighting the Scorpio-N’s earlier achievement as the first body-on-frame SUV in India to secure a 5-star safety rating. The company acknowledged the differences in safety regulations and pledged to meet the unique requirements for Australia in a product mid-cycle update.

Scorpio-N is a safe car, as shown by its 5-star GNCAP rating. However, it does miss out on some assisted driving features like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support system. As per the regulations in Australia and New Zealand, these features aren’t just optional features, but a must for any new car.

However, the traffic situation in India is drastically different, and not one that requires high levels of ADAS. Therefore, the low ANCAP safety rating should not be a concern for Indian buyers.