Euro NCAP has hit out at Dacia’s parent firm Renault after its new Duster scored just three stars in its latest round of safety tests.
The Dacia Duster was one of seven new cars tested by Euro NCAP. The testers were particularly critical of the Duster’s pedestrian protection - it scored 28 per cent – and its safety assist, where it scored 29 per cent.
“The Duster performs well below the latest level of safety performance demonstrated by other new cars on the European market,” said a Euro NCAP statement. “It is disappointing that a mother company like Renault does not give safety the same priority in Dacia cars as it does in cars sold under its own brand.”
Read Autocar's first drive of the Dacia Duster
In response, Renault said the score was “in keeping with the objectives of Dacia, which seeks to design and build vehicles that are acclaimed for their strength and reliability. Dacia Duster benefited from the Renault Group's know-how and boasts a solid level of passive safety performance”.
Other cars to be tested by Euro NCAP included the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the first time an EV has been put through its tests. Euro NCAP described the four-star rating – also awarded to the i-MiEV’s sister cars, the Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero - as “credible”.
“Consumers should expect to get electric vehicles that meet the same safety standards as conventional vehicles,” said Euro NCAP secretary general Michiel van Ratingen. “[Mitsubishi’s effort] shows that a future five-star accolade for EVs is not unthinkable.”
The five-star rating was also handed out to the Mitsubishi ASX, Nissan Juke and Hyundai ix20.
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