The Citroen eC3 was awarded a disappointing NCAP Testing, so safety standards for vehicles in India need urgent reform.
Citroen has become a newsmaker as the eC3 has become India’s first electric vehicle to receive a zero-star rating under the latest crash tests by Global NCAP Testing. This is certainly a bad thing because it gives a real cause for alarm when it comes to the safety of cars today. The eC3 was tested for the new and stricter parameters regarding safety published by Global NCAP in July 2022. The vehicle performed terribly in both the adult and child occupant categories for protection.
The New NCAP Testing Standards
Since the beginning of the new crash test protocols, 19 Indian cars have been tested, many of which showed excellent ratings. However, the eC3 might just be a reminding factor that not all cars are made under this higher threshold of improved safety. The Global NCAP tests are under the #SaferCarsForIndia campaign intended for greater vehicle safety in general. It is all the more alarming for the Citroen eC3, considering it is the first electric vehicle under the new definitions to pass through.
Safety Ratings
The Citroen eC3 has undergone crash tests, with a dismal 0-star rating on the part of adult occupant safety and just 1 star in child occupant safety. In adult safety, it scored 20.86 out of 34 points and a mere 10.55 points out of 49 in child safety assessments. This means that although its body shell was rated as stable, it severely lacked important safety features to protect passengers during a collision.
Protection
The evaluation rated adult occupant protection as severely deficient. The head and neck protection for both driver and passenger was rated good, but the score for chest protection was weak for the driver and poor for the passenger. The lack of ESC (Electronic Stability Control) was another contributing factor to the poor score, as was the absence of the seat belt reminder system. This is because the structural integrity provided by the car is not enough to ensure safety against frontal impact.
Future Concerns
Given these results, one can only imagine the nagging worries among consumers and industry players about vehicle safety standards in India. Nonetheless, Stellantis, the parent company of Citroen, stated that their vehicles comply with current local law but has hinted improvement needs to be made. As Bharat NCAP starts its testing program, tougher assessments are likely to encourage manufacturers to improve their safety features.
David Ward, Executive President of Towards Zero Foundation, expressed deep worries about such low ratings being interpreted far beyond Indian consumers. Citroen eC3 performance is a wake-up call for manufacturers and consumers to place priority on the safety of vehicles.
That shows how much the Citroen eC3 has fallen behind in performance as far as safety ratings are concerned. This calls for a great push on the part of the Indian automotive industry to step up improvements in safety standards. This incident does indicate that though several Indian cars have made an improvement in the safety parameters over the past decade, this area still has so much more scope. Customers are advised to watch out for the safety ratings, which should be paired with advocacy for better standards from every car manufacturer. Moving forward into the electric vehicle age, safety must be emphasised as these vehicles take over the roads. The industry should take the reports seriously and change policies to ensure the safety of all passengers.
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