Renault Zoe EV gets ZERO stars
The Renault Zoe EV gets zero stars in the latest Euro NCAP tests, with the budget Dacia Spring EV doing little better with a one-star rating.
As Euro NCAP tests come to a close for 2021, the last batch has managed to deliver up a bunch of five-star ratings for many of those tested, but a very worrying zero stars for the Renault Zoe EV and just a single star for the Dacia Spring EV.
Those cars grabbing a five-star rating include the new Nissan Qashqai, the BMW iX, the Skoda Fabia and the Mercedes EQS, with decent performances for the Fiat 500e and MG Marvel R which both got four stars.
But the worrying ratings for buyers is the appalling zero-rating for the Renault Zoe EV, and a single star rating for the Dacia Spring EV.
Euro NCAP says the update to the Zoe in 2020 saw battery improvements but no improvement in safety stuff. In fact, safety was made worse by Renault’s decision to replace the seat-mounted side airbag which protected both head and thorax, with one which just protects the thorax. The latest Zoe also offers poor protection in crashes overall, poor vulnerable road user protection and no meaningful crash avoidance technology.
The Dacia Spring EV – effectively a Renault too – fared little better, with Euro NCAP declaring:
[The Dacia Spring] goes beyond no-frills. Its performance in crash tests is downright problematic, with a high risk of life-threatening injuries for driver chest and rear passenger head in frontal crash tests and marginal chest protection in side impact. The mediocre crash performance and poor crash avoidance technology results in one-star rating for Dacia Spring.
However affordable (at least in the EV world) the Zoe EV and Dacia Spring EV may be, it seems there’s a price to pay for ‘budget’.
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