Watch: Honda Amaze Scores 2 Star Safety Rating in Crash Test by Global NCAP

The Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) recently crash-tested the Honda Amaze. The assessment body gave the sub-4-metre sedan a two-star rating for adult occupant protection and a zero-star rating for child passenger protection. These results draw attention to important safety flaws and raise questions about the sedan's safety features. As India transitions to its own Bharat NCAP safety assessment system, the Honda Amaze is one of the last few vehicles to be tested under Global NCAP's Safer Cars for India initiative. Read on to learn more about the details of the latest round of crash tests. 

Honda Amaze GNCAP Safety Rating: Child and Adult Occupant Protection

The Amaze did comparatively well when it was put through less rigorous testing in 2019, earning four stars for adult protection and one for child safety. However, under the new regulations, the adult and child occupant protection ratings have dropped to two stars and zero stars, respectively. 

These results highlight that the latest ratings came about in part due to the lack of essential safety precautions. According to the GNCAP report, 'child protection showed head contact in the frontal impact for both dummies, high loadings in the chest and neck of the three-year-old child and ejection risk in the 1.5-year-old dummies.' The absence of three-point seatbelts in all seating positions and inadequate child restraint equipment were the main reasons for the car getting zero stars in terms of child protection.

For adult occupant protection, the Honda Amaze scored below optimal because of the absence of standard Electronic Stability Control (ESC), optional side head protection, and a driver-only seat belt reminder. The lack of more comprehensive safety features detracted from the car's overall rating, even though it was satisfactory in some safety parameters.

GNCAP and Honda Comment

In his remarks on the findings, Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Global NCAP, said, 'Regrettably, Honda did not take the opportunity to update the Amaze with more safety features which explains its disappointing score.' This suggests that Honda could have achieved better scores for the car with appropriate safety upgrades.

Meanwhile, in an official statement, Honda Cars India remarked, 'The South Africa spec 2nd Generation Amaze has already been tested as 4 star by GNCAP in 2019. The latest test basis new protocol shows that the total score is of 5-star level. However, mainly due to the requirement of certain equipment like Electronic Stability Control and Side Curtain Airbags, it resulted in a lower rating. At Honda, our unwavering commitment to safety is evident in the meticulous engineering of our products, integrating advanced active and passive safety technologies across our entire model range. We are dedicated to continuously working to enhance our vehicles on all parameters of Safety and improve them further at model change timing.'

Honda Amaze: Price and Safety Suite

The price of the Amaze starts at Rs 7.93 lakh and goes up to Rs 9.86 lakh. Both prices are ex-showroom. In terms of safety suite, the sedan offers dual frontal airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchorages, rear parking sensors, a rear multi-view camera, ABS with EBD, and a high-speed alert. In our market, the model competes with the Hyundai Aura and Tata Tigor.