Renault Zoe Euro NCAP safety rating disappoints

KUALA LUMPUR: The final ratings of 2021 are unveiled by the folks at Euro NCAP and it doesn't paint a good picture for Renault.

2020 launched Renault Zoe has been awarded a ZERO safety rating. Euro NCAP safety test cited the removal of a “seat-mounted side airbag which previously protected the head and thorax”. Instead, the vehicle now has a “thorax-only airbag” which the agency found less effective at coping with a side impact.

“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,” said Euro NCAP Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen.

Renault Zoe overall safety rating in mentioned categories are -

• Safety Assist category - 14% (almost 61 percent lower than the 2021 average)
• Adult occupant safety rating - 43%
• Child occupant rating - 52%
• Vulnerable Road Users - 41%

Kwid-based Dacia Spring EV, on the other hand, was awarded ONE star safety rating. Officials at Euro NCAP describe its crash test performance as “downright problematic, with a high risk of life-threatening injuries for driver chest and rear passenger head in frontal crash tests”.

Euro NCAP further said the testing highlighted "a high risk of life-threatening injuries for driver chest and rear passenger head in frontal crash tests and marginal chest protection in side impact.”

Dacia Spring EV safety rating in several Euro NCAP categories -

• Adult occupant protection - 49%
• Child occupant rating - 56%

Commenting on the Spring’s one-star rating, the automaker said, “[The> Spring is a safe new A-segment car. It is homologated, complies with European safety regulations and goes even beyond."

It further added, “[The> Spring proposes a full list of safety features providing better protection than most of the cars on the roads of Europe today (including those of upper segments). However, the contradiction remains between the light weight/small size of the car (which makes them more efficient and more accessible) and the resistance in terms of crash; especially with Euro NCAP protocols getting more and more stringent every two years, in particular for small city cars.”

Also Read: Renault to launch 10 new electric cars by 2025