India-made South Africa-spec Renault Kiger gets a 4-star safety rating from GNCAP

The Global NCAP has awarded the South African version of the Renault Kiger a 4-star safety rating. Initial testing began when the SUV was offered with 2 airbags as standard and lacked ISOFIX or ESC. It scored 2 stars in the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) test and 1 star in the Child Occupant Protection (COP) test. However, shortly after these tests were concluded, Renault launched the updated version of the Kiger with 6 airbags and ESC as standard features. The new model has received 4 stars for safety from the testing body.

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Renault Kiger (South Africa): GNCAP rating explained

The updated Renault Kiger scored 25.20 points out of a possible 34 in the Adult Occupant Protection test, garnering 4 out of 5 stars. Upon frontal impact, it offered good protection to the driver’s and passenger’s head and neck. Their chests showed marginal protection. In the lower half of the body, their left knees showed marginal protection. The passenger’s right knee was well protected. The tibias of the two occupants showed adequate protection. The footwell area and the bodyshell were rated unstable.

Upon side impact, the head, abdomen, and pelvis showed good protection, but the chest was only adequately protected. In the side pole impact test, the head and pelvis showed protection, the abdomen showed adequate protection, but the chest was only marginally protected.

In the Child Occupant Protection (COP) test, the Kiger scored 30.21 points out of a possible 49, garnering 3 stars out of 5. This point tally comprises a Dynamic score of 15.21 points (out of 24), a CRS installation score of 12 points (out of 12), and a Vehicle assessment score of 3 points (out of 13).

The child seat for the 3-year-old was installed in a rearward-facing position using ISOFIX anchorages and a support leg. It couldn’t prevent head contact with the car’s interior or the high deceleration in the chest. However, the child seat installed for the 18-month-old using the same mechanism offered full protection. Upon side impact, the 18-month-old dummy showed full protection, but the 3-year-old dummy showed head exposure.

Bobby Ramagwede, Chief Executive Officer of the Automobile Association of South Africa, said, “The Automobile Association of South Africa welcomes this considerable improvement in the Global NCAP safety rating of the Renault Kiger, going from a concerning two-star rating to a commendable four-star result. This updated Indian-built Kiger proves that the #SaferCarsForAfrica program is indeed yielding real change and saving many lives on South African roads.

It is also a reminder to both the manufacturer and the consumer that improving safety needn’t cost much or affect the production of entry-level model ranges. The result, when manufacturers prioritise the safety of their customers, saves many lives and revives the image of the industry. We commend the French brand on voluntarily submitting the Kiger for testing and strongly encourage those local brands with recent poorer results to work with us on improving the safety of their affected entry-level models, ensuring that safety is prioritised over cost and proving that African lives indeed matter.”

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Final Thoughts

The India-spec Renault Kiger has not been tested by the Bharat NCAP yet. Its pre-facelift model was tested by the Global NCAP back in February 2022. It got an AOP rating of 3 stars and a COP rating of 2 stars. The facelift model was launched in August 2025. It rivals the Nissan Magnite, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, and Maruti Suzuki Brezza in India.