(Electric) cars that receive only 1 star for crashworthiness from the Euro NCAP are not often seen these days. So it is even more surprising that the renewed Renault Zoe does not get a single star. Concern mate Dacia Spring is hardly doing any better and is labeled ‘downright problematic’ by the Euro NCAP.
Euro NCAP has just announced the results of a new series of crash tests. The BMW iX, Mercedes EQS, Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Fabia, among others, have achieved the maximum score of 5 stars in the areas of occupant safety, child safety, pedestrian safety and the functioning of their active safety systems. The small Fiat 500e did a little less well, with 4 stars.
Risk of life-threatening injuries in the Dacia Spring
But then the Dacia Spring, which came out of the test dramatically, with a score of 1 star. The Spring is based on the Renault City K-ZE, which in turn derives from the Renault Kwid, a model that has been sold in India and Brazil for a few years and failed in a Euro NCAP test (0 stars). “Outright problematic”, the Euro NCAP calls the Dacia Spring. In a collision, front and rear occupants are at high risk of life-threatening injuries.
Safety features have been cut in the Renault Zoe
The Renault Zoe was facelifted in 2019. The original model received the maximum Euro NCAP rating of 5 stars in 2013, but now has to make do with 0 stars. This is not only because the Euro NCAP requirements have become a lot stricter, but also because Renault has cut back on safety features. For example, the well-functioning side airbag of the previous model has been replaced by a clearly less well-functioning one.
Euro NCAP: ‘Renault was once synonymous with safety’
Michael van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP, has nothing good to say about Renault and Dacia. “Renault was once synonymous with safety. In 2001, the Laguna was the first car ever to receive 5 stars. […] Don’t just get [de Zoe en de Spring] no decent active safety systems as standard, also the occupant safety of both is worse than we’ve ever seen on a car.”
Euro NCAP accuses Renault and Dacia of cynicism
“It is cynicism at its best to offer customers an affordable electric car if it means that they are much more likely to be injured in an accident,” Van Ratingen continues. “Other models – such as the Fiat 500e, which recently received 5 stars in a Green NCAP test – show that you can build an environmentally friendly car without compromising on safety.”