HAL 9000
Honorary Master
- Joined
- May 27, 2008
- Messages
- 21,154
- Reaction score
- 24,497
-
Join the MyBroadband community
South Africa’s biggest forum. Discuss, discover, and connect with thousands of members.
-
Question of the Day: What's the most interesting small town you've visited in South Africa?
The #SaferCarsforAfrica Thread (Global NCAP)
- Thread starter FiestaST
- Start date
FiestaST
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Older-spec Toyota Starlet receives zero-star Global NCAP safety rating
The Toyota Starlet has been handed a zero-star safety rating by independent crash testing authority Global NCAP, but the score does come with a caveat.
Given the lead times involved in such processes, the Starlet that was tested was an older-spec model fitted with two airbags. Since September 2025, all Starlets have come standard with six airbags; prior to that only the flagship model had the full count.
The organisation has stated that the latest version of the Starlet, equipped with six airbags, will be tested later this year.
It's worth noting that the Starlet is a lightly restyled version of the Suzuki Baleno, built by Maruti Suzuki of India. The rating should, by association, apply to the Baleno too.
The crash test formed part of the #SaferCarsForAfrica campaign, which is a partnership between Global NCAP and the Automobile Association (AA).
According to a statement issued by the AA, the Starlet demonstrated serious occupant protection failures, particularly in side impact testing due to the lack of side and curtain-level airbags. The side impact assessment was not conducted due to the lack of airbags.
The organisation also found the footwell area and bodyshell to be “unstable and not capable of withstanding further loadings.”
In the frontal collision, head protection was rated as “adequate” for the driver and “good” for the front passenger. Neck protection was rated as good for both occupants, and chest protection adequate, while upper and lower leg protection was rated as marginal.
The Toyota Starlet has been handed a zero-star safety rating by independent crash testing authority Global NCAP, but the score does come with a caveat.
Given the lead times involved in such processes, the Starlet that was tested was an older-spec model fitted with two airbags. Since September 2025, all Starlets have come standard with six airbags; prior to that only the flagship model had the full count.
The organisation has stated that the latest version of the Starlet, equipped with six airbags, will be tested later this year.
It's worth noting that the Starlet is a lightly restyled version of the Suzuki Baleno, built by Maruti Suzuki of India. The rating should, by association, apply to the Baleno too.
The crash test formed part of the #SaferCarsForAfrica campaign, which is a partnership between Global NCAP and the Automobile Association (AA).
According to a statement issued by the AA, the Starlet demonstrated serious occupant protection failures, particularly in side impact testing due to the lack of side and curtain-level airbags. The side impact assessment was not conducted due to the lack of airbags.
The organisation also found the footwell area and bodyshell to be “unstable and not capable of withstanding further loadings.”
In the frontal collision, head protection was rated as “adequate” for the driver and “good” for the front passenger. Neck protection was rated as good for both occupants, and chest protection adequate, while upper and lower leg protection was rated as marginal.
FiestaST
Honorary Master
SA’s Toyota Starlet Scores Zero Stars in Crash Test - The AA explains what this means - Cars.co.za