Not All Sunny with new Sonet's Safety

Safety equipment lists for the updated Kia Sonet compact SUV are now live on the Gobar NCRAP website.

Kia have recently updated the Sonet for the 2024 model year, and much has been said about the additions to its safety feature list. The Sonet was the last car remaining to receive the group's global fleet-wide refresh of safety equipment, but is now on par with its stablemates.

The refreshed Sonet features reminders for the rear safety belts across the range. Electronic Stability Control, which was earlier omitted from some variants, is now standard equipment. Curtain airbags to protect front and rear occupants' heads in side impacts are now standard across the range - and Hyundai Motor Group's entire fleet in India. Further, the highest variant of the Sonet now features a camera that relays a live feed of both blind spots to the driver. And an advanced safety assist suite including automatic emergency braking and lane support is fitted to the highest variant. Considering these changes, the basic Sonet now moves up a level to the second-highest rating of 'Recommended', while the best-equipped version retains its 'Best Pick'.

COMPACT SUV RATINGS (updated)

But not everything is as rosy as Kia would have one believe. Although some variants of the Sonet are now i-Size compatible, the ISOFIX anchorages themselves are now omitted from lower variants. The Sonet also loses the head restraint for the rear centre occupant - standard equipment on its predecessor - following a trend from the group first seen with the Hyundai i20 rated earlier this year. Lastly, the Sonet's brochure uses the phrase "autonomous" when referring to the basic safety assist suite fitted to the Sonet, which often misleads consumers into believing their car is capable of greater autonomy than it really is. This is a trend also seen in other vehicles from the brand in particular, as well as rivals like MG.

Kia Carens

All variants of Kia's Carens midsize MPV are now compatible with i-Size child restraints, and its safety equipment list has been updated to reflect this. Its overall rating remains unchanged.

MIDSIZE THREE-ROW RATINGS (updated)