Spring, Sandero, Jogger, Zoe… in quick succession, four models from the Renault group received a poor rating in the most prestigious of crash tests, that of the Euro NCAP body. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be safe buying them.
When it was created 25 years ago, Euro NCAP revolutionized the small world of automotive crash testing. For the first time, these accident simulations were carried out completely independently, with cars purchased off the shelf and the results made public. Very quickly, getting a good rating from this organization became a real selling point. First to win the five stars corresponding to the maximum score with its Laguna 2, Renault is well placed to know. But for some time now, the Diamond brand and its subsidiary Dacia seem to have lost touch: the latest Sandero and Logan had to settle for two stars, the Spring and Jogger only obtained one star, and the Zoe 2 even downright got a zero point! Does this really mean that these models are dangerous for their users? We will explain to you why there are good reasons to doubt it.
A constantly evolving protocol
Euro NCAP reminds us well on its site: “The five-star security rating system is continually evolving as old technologies perish and innovations become available.” Since 2016, the pace of these changes has even tended to accelerate. Under these conditions, a vehicle awarded five stars only two years ago would not necessarily have had the same rating if it had been tested this year. At Jeep, the Renegade was awarded only three stars in 2019 while it had collected five stars in 2014. Even its score on adult protection has been degraded, from 87 to 82%. However, the structure of this SUV has not been modified in this interval, and we cannot therefore consider that it has become less safe than when it started. It is only the test protocol that has become more demanding.
Driving aids now crucial
One of the main turning points took place in 2009, with the arrival of an evaluation of ESP anti-skid and cruise control-speed limiters. It was at this time that Euro NCAP really started to take an interest in active safety, that which makes it possible to avoid an accident, in addition to passive safety, that which reduces the consequences after a collision. The “crash-test” part itself, which had made the organization famous, is thus no longer as decisive as before. Increasingly, this european program for the evaluation of new cars attaches importance to driving aids, the famous ADAS: automatic emergency braking, help to keep in line, alertness monitoring system… It is largely because of this that the Sandero Stepway 3 had to settle for two meager stars. But it is also by dispensing with these often expensive technologies that Dacia manages to keep prices lower than all its competitors. Without necessarily penalizing safety too much because our tests show us that the operation of many of these assistances is often very perfectible, sometimes pushing the driver to deactivate them as soon as possible!
A Sandero not so bad in the crash test
Today, more than ever, it is therefore important not to stop at the stars alone. The notes on the “protection of adults” or that of children, which include the main results of the crash tests, are just as important. But in these two areas, the Sandero Stepway is not that ridiculous, with 70 and 72% respectively. The score of the small Romanian is all the more honorable as these collision simulations have also hardened over time. Particularly in 2020 (see video below), with the arrival of a frontal impact against a deformable mobile barrier or that of an impact on the opposite side of the driver. The 80% and 79% achieved by the Sandero 2 in 2013 therefore do not have the same value as the notes of its replacement. While second-hand models, which often serve as the only real alternative for Dacia buyers, are not necessarily safer than the Romanian city car.
A Jogger not even crashed!
The case of the Jogger is both very close and very different. Due to its many technical similarities with the Sandero, Euro NCAP did not see fit to subject it to a new crash test. Which is already debatable because its copiously extended wheelbase, its specific rear and its higher height risked changing the situation, especially in the event of a side collision. But this lack of extensive checks did not prevent the organization from degrading the rating of one star, for the entire range of this adventurer break, because of two problems yet reserved for only seven-seater versions. It is in fact the absence of a seat belt warning light in the third row and compatibility with an insufficient number of Isofix child seats for this same row which caused this collapse.
TO READ. Why did the Jogger get 1 star without a crash test?
More complicated case for Spring and Zoe
The Zoé and Spring case, on the other hand, is more complicated to defend. The first must indeed be satisfied with only 43% in terms of adult protection. This is in particular the result of a design that is starting to date: its second generation, released in 2019, is more like a major restyling of the model released in 2012, which had obtained five stars in 2013 with 89% for adult safety. But the Renault electric city car was also the victim of its side airbags which no longer protect the head, creating a risk of serious injury, even death, at this level in the event of impact against a post. The absence of standard automatic emergency braking, since rectified, had also been penalized.
As for the Dacia Spring, as it derives from a Renault Kwid which was launched to be sold at a very low cost in the Indian market in 2015, its single star is not too surprising. Just like the 49% obtained for the protection of adults. The Renault group has already announced that the least expensive electric car on the French market will be replaced from 2024, while it has only been offered to individuals since the fall of 2021. But once again, the many protocol changes do not necessarily allow a good comparison of its results with those of older models.
TO READ. Dacia Spring (2024): the electric city car replaced in two years
