Safety comparison: Hyundai Grand i10 vs. Toyota Aygo

By Ané Theron

If you have just under R200 000 to drop on a small city car, and safety is a big consideration for you, then you are in the fortunate position to be able buy a compact hatchback with some very decent safety features. Let’s take a look at how the mid-tier Hyundai Grand i10 fares against the top-spec Toyota Aygo.

Contender no. 1: Hyundai Grand i10 1.25 Fluid, R199 900

In my opinion, the Hyundai Grand i10 is one of the best small hatchbacks on the South African market at the moment. Its build quality is rock solid, it handles beautifully and it's got an amazing amount of space on the rear seat, which doesn't eat into the amount of boot space too much. The Fluid model is also well-equipped with safety features such as two airbags, ABS brakes and EBD (electronic brake-force distribution). It also has the peppier engine of the two: a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder engine with 64 kW and 120 Nm of torque, but bear in mind that it is also heavier than the Aygo, and therefore acceleration figures differ by only about a second and a half. It comes with a radio/sound system (with Bluetooth, audio streaming and USB/AUX ports) and satellite controls on the steering wheel to help prevent your eyes from leaving the road. Front fog lamps and a high-level brake light on the rear is standard. It has child locks but no Isofix child seat anchorage points.

Read my road test of the top-spec i10 1.25 Glide here. 

Contender no. 2: Toyota Aygo X-Cite, R195 000

The little Aygo is a fair bit smaller and lighter than the i10, but it is heavy on safety features. I always have my kids in the back seat, and knowing that there are airbags stretching all the way to the rear offers major peace of mind. The X-Cite variant also has ABS, EBD and brake assist, as well as traction and stability control! Isofix points are on the outer rear seats and child locks are present too. Another safety feature that can potentially save your bacon is hill-start assist, which prevents roll-back when pulling away at an incline. While the three-cylinder engine with 53kW doesn't look particularly zesty on paper, the Aygo's light kerb weight means that its performance is decent enough for zipping effortlessly through town.

The Aygo also gets a multimedia touch-screen with Bluetooth, audio streaming and a USB/AUX port, and dedicated buttons on the steering wheel. Daytime running lights makes the Aygo more visible to other road users. Farzana Chaumoo attended the local launch, and you can read her launch report here.

Verdict

The Aygo wins this contest hands down - six airbags in this segment is almost unheard of. If you can live with the limited rear leg room and small boot, then the Aygo X-Cite is the safest new small car (under 200k) that your money can buy. If practicality is a bigger concern for you than safety, then the Grand i10 offers much more space in the boot and on the rear bench.