[ron178]

Euro NCAP today has released new safety ratings for vehicle models sold in Europe. These results are valid only within the European Union and the UK. The results are not valid for India.

The models tested include:


Standout performers include the BMW iX, Genesis G70 and GV70, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Nissan New Qashqai, Volkswagen New Caddy and Škoda New Fabia with five stars.

The Fiat 500e, MG Marvel R and the Nissan Townstar (whose ratings have been extended from its sister model the Renault Kangoo tested earlier this year) achieve creditable 4 star ratings.

At the other end of the spectrum are Dacia's new Spring Electric (an electric city car based on the Renault Kwid) with one star in line with expectations, in part due to lack of pedestrian AEB, and a shocking but not unexpected (according to recent heated Internet discussions) zero for the Renault Zoe, which gets no form of Autonomous Emergency Braking whatsoever bringing its Safety Assist score to 14%. It is important to note that this rating is unrelated to the similar-looking one-star adult protection rating awarded to the Renault Kwid sold in India by Euro NCAP's sister organisation Global NCAP, and the fact the star rating is the same is a coincidence. Contrary to the Renault Kwid, the European Dacia Spring Electric gets six airbags, ESC, ISOFIX, interurban (but not pedestrian) AEB as standard. Due to the highly evolved nature of Euro NCAP the test and assessment protocol for the Spring was much more advanced than that for the Indian Kwid.

Euro NCAP finds Renault's recent performance shocking and showing a clear lack of ambition compared to previous performance. Previously, Renault had been the first ever manufacturer to score a five star rating in Euro NCAP tests with the Laguna family sedan in 2001.

This is Renault's worst ever star rating in Euro NCAP tests.

Euro NCAP Secretary General Michiel van Ratingen said:

“Bravo to these manufacturers for giving consumers the levels of safety they have come to expect. These results once more make clear that safety is all about good engineering and less about the type of powertrain or price per se.”

“Renault was once synonymous with safety. The Laguna was the first car to get five stars, back in 2001. But these disappointing results for the ZOE and the Dacia Spring show that safety has now become collateral damage in the group’s transition to electric cars. Only a few months ago, Dacia claimed that they were ‘preoccupied with always increasing safety for those on board’ and that their cars always have passenger safety improved (see Autocar). That’s clearly not the case: not only do these cars fail to offer any appreciable active safety as standard, but their occupant protection is also worse than any vehicle we have seen in many years. It is cynical to offer the consumer an affordable green car if it comes at the price of higher injury risk in the event of an accident. Other cars, such as the FIAT 500e, recently awarded 5 stars in Green NCAP, show that safety does not need to be sacrificed for environmental cleanliness.”

Find full ratings at www.euroncap.com.

[TusharK]

Dacia Spring (Kwid EV) scores 1 star in Euro NCAP crash test

The Dacia Spring has been awarded a 1-star rating by Euro NCAP. The car scored 49% for adult occupant safety and 56% for child occupant protection. The Spring is an all-electric version of the Renault Kwid that is sold in India.



According to the crash test report, the car offered good protection to the head in the front and lateral impact test. It offered adequate protection to the chest of the passenger, but protection of the driver's chest was rated as poor. The car offered marginal protection to the chest area of the driver and rear passenger in the full-width rigid barrier test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2indFTVpQ_Y

In the frontal offset test, protection of the head and neck of the 6-year child was rated as weak. The neck of the 10-year dummy was marginally protected. In the side barrier impact, all critical body regions were well protected.

The Dacia Spring was awarded 21.3 points for pedestrian safety. The car is equipped with an autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) but it only reacts to other vehicles and does not detect vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

Link to Team-BHP News

[ron178]

More trivia about the tests:

-For those who think the lack of safety assist tech was the only reason for the Zoe's low score, it is noteworthy that the Renault Zoe's old combination thorax-head seat-mounted side airbag was silently updated to a thorax-only airbag. Hence the driver head hence directly contacted the pole in the oblique pole test and scored a red (poor) protection rating. Excursion of the occupant on the non-struck side in the far-side impact sled test was poor. It also showed a high knee-slider displacement in the MPDB test leading to this region being rated as poor. The car was tested by TNO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiOs1mCMH4Q

-The Dacia Spring was tested in a front mobile progressive deformable barrier (MPDB) test unlike the Renault Kwid in India which was tested against a static offset-deformable barrier (ODB) in frontal impact. Nevertheless, highlights of the performance are:
In the frontal MPDB test, the driver's chest, knees/femurs and pelvis showed poor protection.
In the frontal full-width rigid barrier test, the rear passenger's head showed high excursion and was rated poor.
Unlike the Renault Kwid sold in India and tested by Euro NCAP's partner organisation Global NCAP, the passenger compartment of the Spring was found to have remained stable in the test (while that of the Renault Kwid was found to have lost its integrity).
The car was tested by UTAC in France. This also becomes at least the eighth independent NCAP test on the Kwid in the world after 5 by Global NCAP, 1 by ASEAN NCAP and 1 by Latin NCAP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2indFTVpQ_Y

-The MG Marvel's centre airbag failed to prevent interaction between the heads of the occupants in the far-side impact sled test. Hence the countermeasure was deemed ineffective and no occupant was placed on the non-struck side in the physical AE-MDB side impact. It knocked down a cyclist in the AEB VRU tests. The car was tested by CAERI in China. I would've thought their marketing team would have picked only Thatcham Research.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3un_vaxHXw

-The Škoda Fabia knocked down one pedestrian and one cyclist in the AEB-VRU tests. The was tested by ADAC Technik Zentrum in Germany and the safety assist at the Landsberg am Lech airbase (same place where ADAC recently tested the Mahindra XUV700's AEB for Global NCAP, for those who recall)

-The Mercedes-Benz EQS knocked down a pedestrian in the turning-into-path pedestrian AEB test. It also hit the vehicle target in the turning-into-path interurban AEB test. Like many other Mercedes-Benz models it was tested by BASt, also in Bavaria.

-The Fiat 500e is a pleasant surprise and improves on the previous generation combustion car's 3-star rating despite more demanding protocol, scoring an improved 4 star rating this time around.

-The Volkswagen Caddy, too, improves on the older model's 4-star rating despite more demanding protocol, this time scoring a full five star rating and becoming the first ever Caddy to score five stars.

Other cars tested include the Genesis G70 and GV70, the BMW iX and the Nissan Qashqai which all scored a full five star rating with no immediate flaws in any of the tests. The Nissan Qashqai renews the previous model's five star rating. The Nissan Townstar's rating is an extension of the identical Renault Kangoo tested earlier in the year.

Press release

[volkman10]

Renault Zoe given zero stars in Euro NCAP safety tests:

- Popular EV is third car in history to get zero stars

The Zoe becomes just the third car in Euro NCAP's history to record a zero-star rating, 20 years after the Renault Laguna became the first car to achieve a five-star verdict.

The Zoe previously held a five-star Euro NCAP rating but was entered into the tests following a substantial facelift last year which ushered in a bigger battery and extra power but also, the safety organisation notes, a new seat-mounted side airbag that protects just the occupant's thorax, rather than the head and thorax as it did previously.

This change represents "a degradation in occupant protection", that in the side-pole-impact test, the "driver's head directly impacted the intruding pole and head injury values indicated poor protection of this part of the body".

Importantly, however, Renault will make AEB standard to all Zoe models ordered from 1 March 2022.

The Euro NCAP crash test process isn't mandatory so is either undergone by cars entered voluntarily by their manufacturers or by cars purchased by the testing body itself.


Renault's Response:

“Renault takes note of the results published by EuroNCAP following specific tests on Zoe E-Tech Electric according to its new protocol implemented in 2020.

Renault reaffirms that Zoe E-Tech Electric is a safe vehicle, which complies with all regulatory safety standards. These standards are constantly evolving and are becoming more stringent in all domains, especially in safety. Renault therefore continually improves its offer in order to comply with the regulations applicable where its vehicles are sold

"The Zoe was launched in 2013 and received 5 stars with Euro NCAP protocol at that time. The Euro NCAP protocol has since 2013 undergone five changes. With the same equipment, a model can lose up to two stars in each protocol change.

Link

[ron178]

Euro NCAP announces best in class performers for 2021:

Press release
Models

Model - Class
Mercedes-EQ EQS - Executive, Pure Electric
Škoda ENYAQ iV - Large Off-Road
Škoda Fabia - Small Family Car
Toyota Yaris Cross - Small MPV
Nissan Qashqai - Small Off-Road

The next Euro NCAP safety ratings will be out February 2.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by ron178

The next Euro NCAP safety ratings will be out February 2.

Euro NCAP say they are testing the Volkswagen Taigo soon but it is unclear whether this implies it will be in the round of results scheduled for February 2 or not.

[ron178]

The Republic of Austria is now a Euro NCAP member organisation.
Press Release: Euro NCAP Welcomes New Member Austria

[ron178]

Euro NCAP will test the Tesla Model Y in 2022, they confirm on Twitter.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by ron178

The next Euro NCAP safety ratings will be out February 2.

The next round of Euro NCAP results has been postponed by two weeks

[ron178]

Originally Posted by ron178

The next round of Euro NCAP results has been postponed by two weeks
Attachment 2264899

Update: the next round of Euro NCAP safety ratings will be for commercial vans.

[ron178]

Models currently undergoing Euro NCAP testing or nominated for it (expect results in 2022):

Note: This list only consists of new generations of models that have already been tested.

DS: New 4
Honda: New HR-V
Jeep: New Grand Cherokee
Land: Rover New Range Rover
Lexus: New NX
Mercedes: New C-Class
Opel: New Astra
Peugeot: New 308
Seat: Ibiza facelift
Volkswagen: Polo facelift

Source: European New Car Assessment Programme: Sales Data