Renault Zoe, one of the most popular electric vehicles in Europe, has received zero stars in the Euro NCAP safety rating. The Zoe was only the third car in the 24-year history of Euro NCAP not to earn a single star. Previously, the electric car had a five-star rating, but in 2019 the model was updated. It turned out that not all the changes were beneficial.
During the modernization, the manufacturer installed a more capacious (52 kWh instead of 40) and, accordingly, a heavy battery. Plus, the side airbag built into the seat has been changed: it only protects the chest, and previously it also protected the head.
“The new Zoe offers poor crash protection overall, poor pedestrian protection and no advanced collision avoidance systems, making it unable to achieve even a single star,” Euro NCAP said in a press release.
Not the best way things are with another "train" from Renault - Dacia Spring (Dacia is a subsidiary of Renault). Experts drew attention to the high risk of life-threatening injuries to the chest of the driver and the head of the rear passenger in frontal crash tests. Accident prevention technology gave the Dacia Spring only one star.
Euro NCAP Secretary General Michel van Ratingen noted with sadness that the failure of the Renault Zoe and Dacia Spring actually negates the company's previous achievements. But Renault Laguna was the first car in the world to win a five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2001.
In a new series of tests, the Fiat 500e electric compact and the Chinese-inspired MG Marvel R crossover received four stars each. There are even more “excellent students”: they are BMW iX, Genesis G70 and GV70, Mercedes-EQ EQS, Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Fabia and Volkswagen Caddy.
Renault Zoe:
Comprehensive security: 0 stars out of 5 possible
Front rider safety: 43%
Safety of child passengers: 52%
Pedestrian safety: 41%
Preventive security: 14%
Dacia Spring:
Comprehensive security: 1 star out of 5 possible
Front rider safety: 49%
Safety of child passengers: 56%
Pedestrian safety: 39%
Preventive security: 32%
Two Renault models fail Euro NCAP test
