Renault’s Zoe electric car has been awarded the lowest possible crash test rating by experts due to the French brand removing a life-saving piece of safety equipment.
The current version of the small zero-emission vehicle no longer has a seat-mounted head and thorax airbag. As a result, in a sideways collision with a pole it was found to directly impact a driver’s head without any additional protection.
The Zoe becomes only the third car in history to achieve a zero-out-of-five rating from vehicle safety assessor, Euro NCAP.
And it wasn’t the only model to score poorly in the latest round of tests; Dacia also achieved a lowly one-star rating for its first electric car – the Spring crossover – which is yet to be confirmed for the UK market.
French car flunks crash tests: The electric Zoe is only the third new car to score ZERO stars in Euro NCAP assessments after Renault removed a side-impact airbag from the model in 2020
Safety experts say the side-pole collision test the £27,595 (after the £2,500 Plug-in Car Grant) electric car failed abysmally replicates real-world impacts involving a vehicle skidding into rigid roadside objects, such as trees or lampposts.
Thatcham Research says a third of these collision types are classified as fatal or serious accidents, because the solid object can penetrate deeply into the passenger compartment.
For the last 20 years, cars have offered extra protection to occupants with the use of a specific seat-mounted airbag that is designed to shield a driver or passenger’s head and thorax area if this type of accident.
However, because Renault has removed this feature from the latest version of the Zoe released last year, the tests revealed that a pole can strike the driver’s head and almost certainly result in serious injuries.
Matthew Avery, Thatcham Research’s chief strategy officer, said it is a ‘serious concern to see results like this in 2021’, especially given the vital safety feature previously fitted has now been omitted.
It is also extremely surprising given Renault’s safety track record.
The French brand became the first car maker to score a full five-start Euro NCAP rating in 2001 with its Laguna family model, which also happened to be the first mainstream car to include the combined head and thorax airbag the Zoe is without.
‘Although this was a new and revolutionary safety measure at the time, today this airbag is available on most modern cars,’ Mr Avery explains.
‘Unfortunately, a conscious decision has been made to remove the head protection from this vital passive safety feature, by the brand that pioneered the use of it.
‘As a result, the safety of occupants within the vehicle has been severely impacted.’
Euro NCAP said the removal of the airbag had ‘ruined the Renault Laguna’s legacy’.
Safety experts awarded the car zero stars for a multitude of failings, though most notably the omission of a head and thorax airbag. It not a terrible result for the EV that costs from £27,595
Most new cars offer a specific seat-mounted airbag designed to shield a driver or passenger’s head and thorax area if this type of accident. However, Renault decided to remove it in 2020
The Renault Zoe was originally tested by Euro NCAP in 2013, where it achieved a five-star rating.
Removal of the vital airbag and other key passive safety features means the Zoe ‘has been left far behind the standard achieved by most carmakers in 2021’, UK-based vehicle safety expert, Thatcham Research, says.
These disappointing results show that safety has now become collateral damage in Renault’s transition to electric cars
Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP
‘The adult occupant score of 43 per cent for the Renault Zoe is the lowest we have seen in 11 years,’ Avery adds.
‘Overall, carmakers today consistently achieve good ratings in impact testing, despite Euro NCAP raising the bar to ensure the programme remains the most safety-focused in the world.
‘It’s a shame to see Renault threaten a safety pedigree built from the inception of the rating.’
When replicating a ‘frontal offset’ crash, the Zoe was also found to provide weak protection for the chest area of a driver.
What makes the result especially disappointing is that Renault was the first car maker to score five stars in Euro NCAP tests some 20 years ago
Euro NCAP’s safety review of the Zoe also identified a lack of active safety technology commonly fitted as standard in most new vehicles.
This includes Lane Departure Warnings – which has been shown to have a lower involvement rate in fatal crashes by up to 86 per cent – and standard-fit Autonomous Emergency Braking, which is one of the most important recent developments in car safety which has been shown to reduce front-to-rear crashes with injuries by 56 per cent.
The result was a 14 per cent score in the Safety Assist category – 61 per cent lower than the average (75 per cent) achieved by car makers in the same category this year.
Avery said the French marque had forced buyers to ‘trade off safety for zero emissions’.
He added: ‘Motorists can still save the planet and enjoy a car that could play a vital role in saving their family in the event of a crash.
‘There are many other options of a similar price and size that have achieved solid ratings and feature a host of active safety systems as standard too.’
The Zoe now officially joins the Fiat Punto (tested in 2017) and Panda (tested in 2018) as scoring zero stars in Euro NCAP crash tests.
The Renault Spring – a compact SUV that’s not yet confirmed for the UK market – scored a lowly one-star rating in the latest round of crash tests on new vehicles
One-star crash test rating for Dacia’s first EV
Dacia, which is owned by Renault, is another car maker to see poor performance in the final round of Euro NCAP safety testing this year.
The Spring, its Sandero-sized crossover that’s availability is yet to be confirmed for the UK, obtained a one-star rating in Euro NCAP tests.
An Adult Occupant Protection score of just 49 per cent represented poor and weak protection across several areas of the crash test dummies used for the collision simulations, which could result in life-threatening injuries in a real-life crash scenario.
However, it should be noted that the Dacia is fitted with the airbag that had been removed from the new Renault Zoe, which protects against head injury in side impacts.
An Adult Occupant Protection score of just 49 per cent represented poor and weak protection across several areas of the crash test dummies used for the collision simulations
The Dacia Spring is estimated to retail at around €17,000 in Europe. That means it could be priced from approximately £14,500 in Britain, if bosses decide to sell it here from 2022
The Spring also had a low 56 per cent rating for Child Occupant Protection.
Avery explained: ‘The six-year-old dummy had weak protection, suggesting the forces of a crash could end in serious neck and head injuries.
‘This is anything but a safe family car, despite being marketed as a good option for families.’
Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, said: ‘These disappointing results for the Zoe and Dacia Spring show that safety has now become collateral damage in Renault’s transition to electric cars.’
He added: ‘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 have shown that safety does not need to be sacrificed for environmental cleanliness.’
The Dacia Spring is estimated to retail at around €17,000 in Europe, before the government grant is factored in. That means it could be priced from approximately £14,500 in Britain, if bosses decide to sell it here from 2022.
Euro NCAP crash test results have also been revealed for a further nine models.
The BMW iX, Genesis G70 and GV70, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Fabia, and VW Caddy all achieve five-stars with good active and passive safety performances.
The Fiat 500e and MG Marvel R were given four-star ratings.
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