Maruti Suzuki Fronx Receives 1-Star ANCAP Safety Rating: Full Details Explained

The Maruti Suzuki Fronx has received a 1-star safety rating from ANCAP, raising concerns about its structural safety and child occupant protection. Despite strong sales and performance in other markets, the crash test revealed significant issues — especially during the full-width frontal impact test.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx Gets 1-Star Safety Rating from ANCAP

Suzuki Fronx has been awarded a 1-star safety rating by ANCAP, highlighting weak performance in both adult and child occupant protection. During testing, a serious flaw was identified in the full-width frontal crash test, prompting safety concerns for passengers.

Maruti Suzuki continues to face challenges with global safety ratings. Although some of its models have performed well under Bharat NCAP, other international assessments have been less favorable. Earlier, models like the Baleno and Ciaz received low safety scores — and now the Suzuki Fronx has joined that list.

It’s worth noting that the Suzuki Fronx is manufactured in India and exported to multiple global markets from here.

ANCAP Issues 1-Star Safety Rating for Suzuki Fronx

ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) has officially released the crash-test results for Suzuki Fronx — and the model did not perform well. The car has been rated one star, indicating that its safety performance is significantly below expectations.

A Surprising Contrast in Global Safety Tests

These ratings apply to the versions sold in Australia and New Zealand. However, the results surprised many because the same version of the Fronx received 4-star ratings in Japan NCAP and 5-star ratings in ASEAN NCAP.

Suzuki Fronx Safety Score Breakdown

Suzuki Fronx delivered average to weak results across the four primary safety categories:

• Adult Occupant Protection: 48%

• Child Occupant Protection: 40%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 65%

• Safety Assist Systems: 55%

Full-Width Frontal Crash Test: Major Issue Detected

The most critical failure occurred during the full-width frontal crash test.
Due to a fault in the rear passenger seatbelt retractor, the belt suddenly loosened. As a result, the rear crash-test dummy was not restrained properly and collided with the front seat — leading to a poor score in this category.

Child Occupant Protection: Why the Score Dropped

The Fronx scored 40% in Child Occupant Protection, primarily due to the absence of rear seatbelt pre-tensioners.

According to ANCAP, child dummies were not adequately protected during both frontal and side impact tests. Protection for the head and chest ranged from weak to average, reducing the overall score.

Although ISOFIX anchors and top-tether points are available, the lack of seatbelt pre-tensioners and a child-presence detection system contributed to the lower rating.

Suzuki Fronx: Safety Features

Suzuki Fronx comes equipped with several driver-assistance features.

It supports Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).

Lane Keep Assist and Emergency Lane Keeping systems are included.

A Blind Spot Monitoring system is available.

Speed Assistance technology enhances driving safety.

The AEB system performed well in car-to-car and junction scenarios.

AEB helped prevent or reduce the severity of collisions.

The Fronx lacks a head-on AEB feature.

There is no direct driver monitoring system.

Seat belt reminders are available for all seats.

However, occupant detection is missing for the rear-center seat.

Conclusion

The Maruti Suzuki Fronx receiving a 1-star ANCAP safety rating raises important questions about the model’s safety readiness for international markets. While the Fronx offers several modern driver-assistance features and has performed better in other regional crash tests, the structural weaknesses and child occupant protection issues highlighted by ANCAP cannot be ignored.

For buyers, this result serves as a reminder that safety should remain a top priority — not just features or price. It will now be crucial to see whether Suzuki addresses these shortcomings through future updates or structural improvements to restore consumer confidence.