Euro NCAP has released safety ratings for nine new cars.
Decades ago, Ford of England billed its new line of Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac models as 'the five star cars'; today that tagline could apply to the redesigned Fiesta which was one of several models to get a five star rating in the latest tests.
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The Jeep Compass, Mazda CX-5, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet, Opel Grandland X and Renault Koleos were also all awarded five stars while Opel's Ampera-e got four. Kia's supermini Picanto and small family Rio both achieved three stars with standard safety equipment but were rated as four and five stars respectively when tested with their optional safety packs.
NCAP said some of this month's cars "demonstrated an apparent lack of restraint robustness in side impact testing". In the pole test of the Compass, readings in the dummy's chest indicated injury risk values above the limit to qualify for points, but below those which indicate an unacceptably high risk of life-threatening injury.
Likewise, in the side barrier test, the head of the dummy representing a 10 year old child, seated behind the driver, struck the roof frame in the C-ClassCabriolet as the side airbag did not fully cover the impact area. In the same test with the Picanto, the chest of the 10 year old child was poorly protected.
Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP, "Euro NCAP is pushing for the fitment of advanced technologies and manufacturers have responded well, with AEB now commonplace on most new cars. However, they should not forget the basics of occupant protection in case of a crash. All occupants deserve to be equally well protected, whether they're an adult driver or a child seated in the rear. The adoption of a 10 year old child dummy in our test last year allows us to highlight areas for improvement, even in five star cars."
The Ampera-e, while achieving a creditable four star rating, disappointed in having no seatbelt reminder for the rear seats. This follows a trend set by the Opel Insignia which offered rear seatbelt reminders only as an option.
Van Ratingen said: "It is very disappointing to see Opel do away with this simple, relatively inexpensive but life saving technology. If occupants are not properly restrained, any additional means of protection are largely ineffective. We know how effective these reminders are at promoting seatbelt use, so this is clearly a big step backwards on Opel's part."
The seventh generation Fiesta joined the Seat Ibiza as the second supermini this year to achieve a five star rating with standard equipment only.
Competitor Picanto did not achieve the same performance in Euro NCAP's tests but consumers have the option to purchase the Advanced Driving Assistance Pack, available on all variants, to enhance its crash avoidance capabilities.
