Suzuki Baleno Exports from India Only Get Two Stars in Safety Tests

JAKARTA - The Indian-produced Suzuki Baleno achieved a two-star safety rating in the latest Latin NCAP crash test. This result was announced in December 2025 and applies to units exported to the Latin American market, not the Indian market version directly.

As reported by Rushlane, Saturday, December 20, the model tested was the Baleno with six airbags, complete with standard safety features such as ESC, seat belt reminder on all seats, and ISOFIX mounts. Latin NCAP confirmed that the body structure was judged to be stable and able to withstand additional loads.

In the test, Baleno recorded a safety score of 79 percent for adult passengers, 65 percent for child passengers, 48 percent for pedestrian protection, and 58 percent for safety assistance. Front and side impact protection was rated good to adequate, while neck injury protection in the rear impact also got good results.

However, the absence of advanced active safety features or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is the main factor that holds back the overall value increase. The Latin American version of Baleno has not been equipped with technologies such as AEB, Lane Assist, Speed Assist, and Blind Spot Detection, which have a fairly large weight in the Latin NCAP Safety Assistance category.

Interestingly, the difference in results was seen in the Bharat NCAP test earlier this year, where the Maruti Suzuki Baleno Indian specification received four stars both in the two airbag and six airbag variants. This shows that the testing standards and weight of safety assessment in each region can produce different outputs on the same model.

Latin NCAP confirmed that the two-star rating only applies to models sold in the Latin American region, which carry a different feature package compared to the Indian market. The fact that the unit is produced in India for export also strengthens the country's role as the global production center of the Baleno for Suzuki.