Features
14 déc 17

Fiat Punto: from 5 to 0 EuroNCAP stars in 12 years

The safety standards applied by independent testing organism EuroNCAP have evolved over the years, but Fiat has not been keeping up. Since the Punto was launched in 2005, nothing major has been done to make the city car perform better in terms of passive and active safety. Conclusion: a 5-star rating (for adult occupants) in 2005 is reduced to zero stars on the latest crash tests. The Fiat Punto has the questionable honour to become the first car ever to get such a rating from EuroNCAP.  

No safety assist, no stars

The total lack of safety assistance systems, such as lane departure warning and a speed limiter, resulted in a “love game”. Harsh as this may be, 0% on “safety assist” automatically results in zero stars as a general rating. Without the “safety assist” chapter, the Punto would get 2 stars based on the results in the categories “adult occupant”, “child occupant” and “pedestrian”.

“We have seen a lot of good cars in 2017, able to meet Euro NCAP’s 5-star requirements. Superminis like the new VW Polo, the Ford Fiesta and the SEAT Ibiza now come with advanced safety technology as standard, offering the best in crash avoidance and crash protection”, said Euro NCAP Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen.

“The fact that older cars cannot compete illustrates the pace at which the vehicle industry is innovating safety and the willingness and ability of competitive manufacturers to meet the highest standards.  Those who do not keep their cars up to the latest standards get left behind, as these results clearly show.”

3 stars max if safety assist not standard

Other vehicles tested last month, like the new Dacia Duster, Kia Stonic and Opel Karl, were awarded three stars. They performed relatively well on the passive safety aspects, but lose precious points because safety assistance features do not come standard. The twin sister of the Kia Stonic, the Hyundai Kona, boasts five stars, indeed because its standard equipment includes a speed limiter and a lane keeping assist.

The same goes for the Toyota Yaris, every unit of which leaves the factory with AEB, too. The best pupils in EuroNCAP’s last test round were the Kia Stinger, BMW 6 GT and the Jaguar F-Pace, which posts the best results of all: 86 percent for adult occupant, 85 percent for child occupant, 80 percent for pedestrian and 72 percent on safety assist.

Picture copyright: EuroNCAP, 2017

Authored by: Dieter Quartier