From the Apex · Launch Mode · 2026-07-03

Renault's cheapest car now has six airbags. Just not the cheapest version of it.

The ₹4.53 lakh Kwid in the headline still has two. The six-airbag Climber is ₹62,000 up the ladder.

• The 2026 Kwid opens at ₹4.53 lakh ex-showroom, from a range cut from four trims to two.
• Six airbags arrive on the Climber. The ₹4.53 lakh Evolution still has two.
• Nothing mechanical changed: the same 999cc three-cylinder petrol, five-speed manual or AMT.
• The update is badges, wheel covers, a Kiger steering wheel and a shorter price list.

Renault's cheapest car got safer, simpler and slightly better dressed. Only two of those three are free.

Renault relaunched the Kwid on 3 July 2026: ₹4.53 lakh for the Evolution manual, ₹4.90 lakh for the Evolution AMT, ₹5.15 lakh for the Climber and ₹5.61 lakh for the Climber AMT, all ex-showroom. The Authentic and Techno trims are gone, taking the range from four names to two. Mechanically nothing moved: the same 999cc three-cylinder petrol at 69 hp, a five-speed manual or a five-speed AMT. The visible work is 3D Renault badges front and rear, new dual-tone covers on the 14-inch steel wheels, a silver Kwid badge on the tailgate and a three-spoke steering wheel lifted from the Kiger, audio controls included.

The number that matters is six. The Climber now carries six airbags where it had two, which is a genuine upgrade at this end of the market. The Evolution, which is the car in the ₹4.53 lakh headline, still has two. That is a ₹62,000 walk up the ladder for four more airbags, in a segment where the Alto K10 and the S-Presso start lower still and the whole decision turns on a few tens of thousands of rupees.

Two airbags for ₹4.53 lakh, six for ₹5.15 lakh. Do the sum before the test drive.