Last December, Euro NCAP struck a blow on the head of the Zoé. The electric city car then received a 0 star rating in crash tests. Renault is reacting today by adding emergency braking as standard on all versions, shortly after a drop in prices.
Focus on security to sell. Once true, this prerogative was somewhat lost when five stars in crash tests almost became the rule. Except that Euro NCAP has changed its criteria over time and in the event of poor performance as with the Zoé, it is difficult to escape the discontent of the public. The absence of active emergency braking, aka AEBS, on the access finish partly explained this poor result. This electronic assistance is therefore appearing on the entire Zoé range. The entry-level Balance level benefits from this for the first time, as does the intermediate Evolution. The high Evolution version, replacing the Intens, had found this equipment in January 2022, when it had to be removed in 2021 due to the shortage of semiconductors still in progress.
An essential system today?
This active emergency braking system has two functions. The first is to alert the driver of a risk of frontal collision up to 140 km/h. The second can act directly on the car and “to plant” the brakes in the event of imminent danger, from 7 to 85 km/h. A radar located just above the plate and under the logo signals the presence of this equipment. For Euro NCAP, the absence of this AEBS was enough to make the Zoé lose a star. If the organization should not review its verdict immediately, this assistance could reassure the most worried customers.
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No impact on prices
The good news is that the prices do not change. We recall that the entry ticket for the Zoé had dropped by €500 at the start of the year. The optional “Security Plus” pack (950 €) which included the AEBS will for its part disappear. It will give way to the “Security” pack, displayed at 700 € with fog lamps, front and rear parking assistance, as well as a reversing camera. All orders from February 15 are affected by this change. In case of uncertainty about the copy you will receive, your dealer should be able to easily inform you since the internal codes of the different versions have been modified.
Source: Worldscoop
