Renault India, a wholly owned subsidiary of French carmaker Renault Group, has announced that the new Duster has been awarded a 5-star safety rating under the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP), underlining Renault’s commitment to making top-tier safety a standard offering and marking a significant milestone in the SUV’s much-anticipated comeback in India.
Performance across safety parameters
The new Duster delivered a highly competitive performance across both adult and child occupant protection categories: Adult Occupant Protection: 30.49/32; Child Occupant Protection: 45/49.
Variant coverage and certification
The rating is based on tests conducted on the EVOLUTION (Turbo 160 MT), TECHNO (Turbo 160 DCT) & ICONIC (Turbo 160 MT), with the 5-star certification applicable across the entire range, reinforcing Renault’s approach of offering advanced safety without variant-based compromise.
Engineering and platform strength
From the early stages of development, the new Duster was engineered to meet stringent 5-star safety targets, and the BNCAP result decisively validates that ambition. Built on a robust RGMP platform with enhanced structural integrity, the SUV has been designed to deliver consistent and predictable occupant protection across crash scenarios.
Driving dynamics and overall proposition
At the same time, the new Duster continues to build on its legacy of confident, well-balanced driving dynamics, with a focus on ride comfort, handling stability, and assurance across diverse Indian road conditions.
The 5-star BNCAP rating now completes this proposition, bringing together driving capability and verified safety performance in one cohesive package.
Alignment with global safety vision
This achievement aligns with Renault’s global Human First Program, where safety is embedded early into design, engineering, and product validation.
Comprehensive safety features
The new Duster comes equipped with 35 safety features as standard, ensuring a comprehensive and consistent safety baseline across all variants.
Compelling case for rational buyers
Renault Group India VP, Sales & Marketing, Francisco Hidalgo-Marques, said, “ With this latest achievement, the Duster now also makes a compelling case for rational buyers, combining one of the best fuel efficiency figures in the segment with a 5-star BNCAP safety rating for adult and child occupant protection, and the added reassurance of a best-in-market 7-year warranty.”
Engineering perspective
Renault Engineering India Chief, V Vikraman, said, “This result is rooted in engineering execution on the ground. The Duster was subjected to extensive simulations, physical crash tests, and system-level validations, with a strong focus on real-world Indian driving conditions. From body structure performance to restraint calibration and electronic safety systems, every element was engineered, tested, and refined to work together. The 5-star BNCAP rating reflects the rigour of that end-to-end engineering and validation process.”