6 SUVs With the Best Highway Safety Features in India (2026)

The Kia Seltos is the strongest all-round choice for highway safety in India, pairing the highest Bharat NCAP adult score of any SUV tested, 31.70 out of 32, with a Level 2+ driver-assistance suite. The Tata Sierra follows on 31.14 with its own Level 2+ system, and the Maruti Victoris sits between them on crash protection at 31.66 while offering Level 2 assistance. All six SUVs below hold 5 stars from Bharat NCAP for both adults and children, and five of the six offer driver assistance.

A crash-test score tells you how well a car protects you once an impact has happened. On a long highway run the features that stop the impact happening matter at least as much, so this list weighs both.

What counts as highway safety

Three layers do the work, and a car needs all three to be genuinely good on a highway.

1. Crash protection. Independent scores from Bharat NCAP, marked out of 32 for adults and 49 for children.
2. Driver assistance. Radar and camera systems that warn, brake and steer. A Level 2 system combines adaptive cruise control with lane keeping. It assists, it does not drive, and the driver stays responsible throughout.
3. Stability and monitoring. Electronic stability control, hill hold, tyre pressure monitoring, ISOFIX anchorages and speed alerts.

Best SUVs for highway safety at a glance

SUV	Bharat NCAP (adult / child)	Driver assistance	Airbags	Price range (ex-showroom)
Kia Seltos	31.70/32, 45/49	Level 2+	6	Rs 11.25 lakh to Rs 21.57 lakh
Maruti Victoris	31.66/32, 43/49	Level 2	6	Rs 10.50 lakh to Rs 19.99 lakh
Hyundai Venue	31.15/32, 44.46/49	Level 2	6	Rs 8.00 lakh to Rs 15.82 lakh
Tata Sierra	31.14/32, 44.73/49	Level 2+	6	Rs 11.49 lakh to Rs 21.29 lakh
Renault Duster	30.49/32, 45/49	Level 2	6	Rs 10.49 lakh to Rs 18.49 lakh
Maruti Brezza	30.41/32, 43/49	None	6	Rs 7.50 lakh to Rs 13.71 lakh
Prices are ex-showroom Delhi, checked on 12 October 2026. Seltos and Venue starting prices are from Kia and Hyundai directly; Sierra and Duster figures come from the model listings and are worth confirming with a dealer.

The six SUVs in detail

Equipment below describes the variants that carry the full assistance suite. Lower trims drop most of it.

1. Kia Seltos

This is the one to beat. Its 31.70 out of 32 is the highest adult-protection score Bharat NCAP has published for any SUV, and the rating covers every engine and gearbox in the range: petrol, turbo petrol and diesel alike. That is rarer than it sounds.

The assistance suite is the deepest on this list: adaptive cruise control with navigation-based corner and speed-limit control, forward collision avoidance including junction turning and evasive steering assist, lane keep assist, blind spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance and highway driving assist. Add a 360-degree camera, electronic stability control, hill assist and disc brakes at all four corners.

Engines are a 115 PS 1.5 petrol, a 160 PS 1.5 turbo petrol with 253 Nm, and a 116 PS 1.5 diesel, returning roughly 17 to 20.7 km/l.

2. Maruti Victoris

The best-protected Maruti on sale, and the only one with a double 5-star record: 31.66 out of 32 at Bharat NCAP and 33.72 out of 34 at Global NCAP, where it also took 41 out of 49 for children. Six airbags are standard and the Bharat NCAP rating runs from the base LXI to the ZXI+ 4WD.

Level 2 assistance brings advanced emergency braking that recognises cars, motorcycles, pedestrians and bicycles, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise with curve speed reduction, lane keep assist, lane departure warning and prevention, blind spot monitor with lane change alert, rear cross-traffic alert, vehicle sway warning and high beam assist. It arrives on the ZXI+ automatics, from Rs 17.49 lakh.

The 1.5 K15C petrol makes 75.8 kW (103.06 PS) and 139 Nm, the strong hybrid pairs a 68 kW (92.45 PS) engine with a motor and claims 28.65 km/l. Worth noting for highway buyers: the S-CNG variant, at 27.02 km/kg, is not among the variants the 5-star rating covers.

3. Hyundai Venue

The cheapest route to a Level 2 suite here, and the rating covers both the petrol and diesel families including the turbo DCT that carries the assistance hardware. Forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitor, high beam assist, rear cross-traffic avoidance and driver attention warning are all present, with a 360-degree camera, stability control, tyre pressure monitoring and hill assist underneath.

Engines are a 1.2 petrol, a 1.0 turbo petrol with about 118 bhp and 172 Nm, and a 1.5 diesel with about 114 bhp and 250 Nm, claiming up to roughly 21 km/l on the diesel.

4. Tata Sierra

The best child-protection score of the non-45-pointers at 44.73 out of 49, with a Level 2+ suite covering automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind-spot detection and a 360-degree camera. An electronic stability program, hill descent control and disc brakes at every wheel handle the rest.

The 1.5 turbo petrol makes 158 bhp and 255 Nm, the 1.5 turbo diesel 116 bhp and 280 Nm, with claimed diesel mileage up to 21.26 km/l. The rating covers both fuel families.

5. Renault Duster

A full 45 out of 49 for child protection, matched here only by the Seltos. Adaptive cruise control with stop and go, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and blind spot warning make up the assistance set, with a 360-degree camera and disc brakes all round.

Two turbo petrols are offered: the 1.0 TCe 100 with 100 hp and the 1.3 TCe 160 with 163 hp and 280 Nm, claiming about 17.75 to 18.45 km/l. The rating covers all three engine and gearbox families.

6. Maruti Brezza

Included for its crash result rather than its highway kit. It holds 5 stars both ways at 30.41 and 43, and six airbags are standard, but there is no adaptive cruise control or lane keeping at any price. On a long drive, you are doing all the work yourself.

What it does have is blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, a safe exit warning, a 360-degree camera, electronic stability program with hill hold, tyre pressure monitoring, ISOFIX and a high-speed alert from 80 km/h. The 1.5 K15C makes 103.05 PS, the 1.0 turbo 110.12 PS and 170 Nm. As with the Victoris, the S-CNG sits outside the rating.

Crash score against assistance depth

SUV	Adult score	Child score	Adaptive cruise	Lane keep	Emergency braking	Blind spot
Kia Seltos	31.70	45	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Maruti Victoris	31.66	43	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Hyundai Venue	31.15	44.46	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tata Sierra	31.14	44.73	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Renault Duster	30.49	45	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Maruti Brezza	30.41	43	No	No	No	Yes

FAQs

Which SUV here has the highest Bharat NCAP adult score?

The Kia Seltos at 31.70 out of 32, which is the highest Bharat NCAP has awarded any SUV. The Maruti Victoris follows at 31.66 and the Hyundai Venue at 31.15.

Which Maruti SUV offers ADAS?

The Victoris, on its ZXI+ automatic variants from Rs 17.49 lakh. Among Maruti's SUVs it is the only petrol or hybrid model with the system; the electric e Vitara also offers Level 2 assistance on its Alpha trim, while the Brezza, Grand Vitara and Invicto go without.

Does the Bharat NCAP rating apply to every variant?

Not necessarily. Bharat NCAP publishes a ratings applicability list naming the engine families and trims each result covers. On this list the Victoris and Brezza ratings exclude their S-CNG variants, so check your exact variant before buying.

Does ADAS drive the car for me?

No. A Level 2 system assists with speed and lane position while the driver stays responsible for the car at all times. Performance degrades in rain, fog, poor lane markings and heavy glare, all of which are common on Indian highways.

Can I compare Bharat NCAP and Global NCAP scores?

Not directly. Adult protection is marked out of 32 at Bharat NCAP and out of 34 at Global NCAP, under different protocols. Read each result against its own scale.

Is a 5-star SUV without ADAS still good for highway driving?

It protects you just as well in an impact, which is what the stars measure. What you lose is the layer that helps avoid the impact, and on long highway stints adaptive cruise and lane keeping reduce fatigue as much as they reduce risk. The Brezza is the example here.