In its now confirmed final evaluation for 2019, Europe’s new car crash test authority, Euro NCAP, has released the results of its latest test which saw six out of the 10 vehicles tested receiving the maximum five stars.
With the exception of the Audi Q8 and the all-new eighth generation Volkswagen Golf scheduled to arrive next year, the remaining top-rated models are all not destined for South Africa anytime soon and include the Ford Puma, the MG HS and the electric version of the smaller ZS, and the new Nissan Juke.
The recently updated Volkswagen up! and its Seat and Skoda siblings, the Mii and Citigo, only obtained three stars with the removal of the previously offered Autonomous Emergency Braking system being cited as a key hindrance in all three losing their earlier five star ratings.
Secretary General Michiel van Ratingen has however expressed concern after the Golf became the second model to have its door opened during the side impact tests, an occurrence that first happened earlier this month when testing the Sharan MPV.
“Door openings during crash are penalised in Euro NCAP since the start as they represent a critical ejection risk to occupants. Door openings are rare nowadays and it is important that Volkswagen is committed to finding the root cause,” van Ratingen said in a statement.
Worst effected was the all-electric, futuristic Aiways U5 which received three stars, but lost points during the side impact tests and also during the pedestrian detection cycle as part of the Autonomous Emergency Braking procedures. A reworked version is however in the works and according to the organisation, will be re-evaluated next year.
“It is the first year that we see three Chinese cars tested by Euro NCAP. Clearly the capabilities to engineer safe vehicles in China has leapfrogged over recent years, but the U5 example shows that meeting five-star requirements can still be a hurdle for young companies. None of these issues however can not be overcome and we look forward to verify the cars’ performance when the shortcomings are effectively addressed,” van Ratingen added.
The NCAP secretary was however more stern when testing of the South Africa-bound Opel Zafira Life had to be halted when it became clear that the triplet of the Citroën Spacetourer and Peugeot Traveller had very little in-common with the previous generation that rode on the same platform as the Astra.
“Fleet operators and consumers are getting old wine in new bottles, as there is not much new about the dated design of the Zafira Life. The equipment and the expected performance have fallen so far behind the latest requirements that testing has become pointless,” van Ratingen said.
“Pressured by Euro NCAP over its lack of transparency and their false safety claims, Opel/Vauxhall are introducing some changes to the 2020 model year vans. These, however, cannot make up for the lack of ambition that PSA has demonstrated for improving safety in the business van segment”.
CAR | STARS | ADULT | CHILD | PEDESTRIAN | ASSIST | NOTE |
| Aiways U5 | 73% | 70% | 45% | 55% | ||
| Audi A1 | 95% | 85% | 73% | 80% | ||
| Audi Q7 | 92% | 86% | 71% | 72% | ||
| Audi Q8 | 93% | 87% | 71% | 73% | ||
| Audi e-tron | 91% | 85% | 71% | 76% | ||
| BMW 1 Series | 83% | 87% | 76% | 72% | ||
| BMW 3 Series | 97% | 87% | 87% | 76% | ||
| BMW Z4 | 97% | 87% | 91% | 76% | ||
| Citroën C5 Aircross | 87% | 86% | 58% | 75% | ||
| Citroën C5 Aircross | 89% | 86% | 67% | 82% | Safety Pack | |
| DS3 Crossback | 87% | 86% | 54% | 63% | ||
| DS3 Crossback | 96% | 86% | 64% | 76% | Safety Pack | |
| Ford Explorer | 87% | 86% | 61% | 76% | ||
| Ford Focus | 96% | 87% | 72% | 75% | ||
| Ford Kuga | 92% | 86% | 82% | 73% | ||
| Ford Mondeo | 96% | 87% | 70% | 73% | ||
| Ford Puma | 94% | 84% | 77% | 74% | ||
| Honda CR-V | 93% | 83% | 70% | 76% | ||
| Kia Ceed | 88% | 85% | 52% | 68% | ||
| Kia Ceed | 88% | 85% | 68% | 73% | Safety Pack | |
| Jeep Cherokee | 80% | 78% | 56% | 69% | ||
| Jeep Renegade | 82% | 84% | 55% | 58% | ||
| Lexus UX | 96% | 85% | 82% | 77% | ||
| Mazda3 | 98% | 87% | 81% | 73% | ||
| Mazda CX-30 | 99% | 86% | 80% | 77% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz B-Class | 96% | 90% | 78% | 75% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz CLA | 96% | 91% | 91% | 75% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz EQC | 96% | 90% | 75% | 75% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz GLB | 92% | 88% | 78% | 74% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz G-Class | 90% | 83% | 78% | 72% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz GLE | 91% | 90% | 78% | 78% | ||
| MG HS | 92% | 81% | 64% | 76% | ||
| MG ZS EV | 90% | 85% | 64% | 70% | ||
| Range Rover Evoque | 94% | 87% | 72% | 73% | ||
| Renault Captur | 96% | 83% | 70% | 74% | ||
| Renault Clio | 96% | 89% | 72% | 75% | ||
| Nissan Juke | 94% | 85% | 81% | 73% | ||
| Opel/Vauxhall Corsa | 84% | 86% | 66% | 69% | ||
| Peugeot 208 | 91% | 86% | 56% | 71% | ||
| Peugeot 2008 | 91% | 84% | 62% | 68% | ||
| Peugeot 2008 | 93% | 84% | 73% | 73% | Safety Pack | |
| Porsche Taycan | 85% | 83% | 70% | 73% | ||
| Seat Alhambra | 89% | 78% | 59% | 62% | ||
| Seat Mii | 81% | 83% | 46% | 55% | ||
| Seat Tarraco | 97% | 84% | 79% | 79% | ||
| Skoda Citigo | 81% | 83% | 46% | 55% | ||
| Skoda Kamiq | 96% | 85% | 80% | 76% | ||
| Skoda Octavia | 92% | 88% | 73% | 79% | ||
| Skoda Scala | 97% | 87% | 81% | 76% | ||
| SsangYong Korando | 88% | 85% | 68% | 74% | ||
| Subaru Forester | 97% | 91% | 80% | 78% | ||
| Tesla Model X | 98% | 81% | 72% | 94% | ||
| Tesla Model 3 | 95% | 86% | 74% | 94% | ||
| Toyota Corolla | 95% | 84% | 86% | 77% | ||
| Toyota RAV4 | 93% | 87% | 85% | 77% | ||
| Volkswagen Golf | 95% | 89% | 76% | 78% | ||
| Volkswagen Sharan | 89% | 78% | 59% | 62% | ||
| Volkswagen T-Cross | 97% | 86% | 81% | 80% | ||
| Volkswagen up! | 81% | 83% | 46% | 55% |
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
