AA 2017 entry-level vehicle safety analysis

I disagree with their rating for the TATA Bolt XMS.

It has a 4-star Global NCAP rating (tested with the Zest (Bolt) sedan), and also has Cornering Stability Control, ABS / EBD and dual airbags.

According to their points scoring list, the score should be as follows:

30 - ABS
30 - Cornering Stability Control
10 - Driver's airbag
10 - Passenger airbag
20 - 4-star Global NCAP safety rating

100 - Total score.


Comments on Global NCAP test:

David Ward, Secretary General of Global NCAP said:

“Tata has shown how they can dramatically improve the safety of the Zest. It is encouraging to see a major Indian brand improving the safety of their models."

"We strongly encourage Indian consumers to opt for the much safer four star rated option."

"We also urge Tata to consider making the two airbag version of the Zest their basic model.”

http://www.globalncap.org/tata-zest-achieves-a-4-star-result-in-india/

NB: ALL of the TATA Bolt models in S.A. (sedan & hatch) are fitted with dual airbags, ABS / EBD & CSC, whilst Indian versions only have them fitted as an option in the high-spec XT (o) variants.
 
Last edited:
SA's safest entry-level cars for less than R160 000

What are the safest budget cars in SA? The Automobile Association (AA) has released its second annual 'Entry-Level Vehicle Safety Report', assessing the safety features of entry-level vehicles.

The report considered the safety features of 25 vehicles available in South Africa currently priced under R160 000. This is R10 000 (6.7%) more than the vehicles assessed in 2016 to account for an increase in inflation.

The AA said: “Price is, unfortunately, a main driving factor in people’s decisions to buy vehicles. What we would like to see more of is people considering other elements of the vehicles they intend buying such as safety features, which can mean the difference between life and death.

“In our first report last year we highlighted the disconnect between price and safety on entry-level vehicles; cheaper models seemed to have limited safety features. It is disappointing that vehicles listed in last year’s report, most of which are still on sale, carry similar, if not the same, limited safety equipment as standard.”

The list

The 25 vehicles surveyed were evaluated against the number of active safety features they have (anti-lock braking systems, electronic stability control), and passive safety features (airbags).

Vehicles with an NCAP rating (New Car Assessment Programme) from Europe were awarded points according to the safety rating they achieved. The scoring for the NCAP rating is only applied if the model of the vehicle on sale in South Africa is confirmed to be identical to the model which received the NCAP rating initially.

Safest entry-level cars: list by the AA

Worrying safety trends

The survey is the result of desktop research, and specifically assesses safety features only. It does not consider the structural integrity of the driver/passenger compartment.

The 25 vehicles are categorised into three groups based on their safety ratings according to the AA survey. These cars are noted for having either:

• Acceptable safety,
• Moderate safety, or,
• Poor safety.

Of the 25 vehicles assessed, only two are categorised as having acceptable safety. Thirteen of the vehicles are categorised as having moderate safety, and ten are classified as having poor safety.

In addition to scoring the vehicles purely on safety features, the report also considers safety weighed against affordability. In this scenario, the score achieved by a vehicle for its safety features is measured against its cost to arrive at a Safety/Affordability Score.

Considering this, only one car achieves an acceptable Safety/Affordability Score, while ten are rated as poor on the scale. Fourteen of the vehicles are rated as moderate of the Safety/Affordability scale. A full list of the vehicles assessed, their safety ratings, and their Safety/Affordability scores, is available here.

Read the full report below:

The need for improved safety

The purpose of the research is to highlight the importance of safety features in new cars, understand how these features can save lives, and encourage new car buyers to consider safety in their decisions, and not only price.

The Association notes this is especially important as many of the people who are buying or driving entry-level vehicles are often those with the least driving experience and, as such, this makes safety features even more critical.

“Safety features on vehicles are critical elements which can provide much-needed protection in the event of a crash. What we’d like to see is that all car manufacturers include more safety features in their vehicles, and to make more use of international safety ratings such as NCAP from the region of manufacture or importation. In this way, we believe, customers will be better placed to know what they are getting in terms of safety,” the AA said.

Road deaths in SA

According to figures from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) 14 071 people were killed on South African roads in 2016. The AA said: "While efforts to reduce this number are ongoing, it comes against the backdrop of data from the National Traffic Information System (eNaTIS) that shows the total vehicle population in the country remains high at just under 11 million (10 967 958) vehicles. Of these just over 7 million (7 140 959) are classified as motor cars or station wagons."

"These two figures – the high fatality rate, and the high vehicle population – again highlight the need for safer driving for everybody. This includes increased road safety awareness initiatives, better policing and enforcement of road regulations, and a wholesale improvement in driver attitudes."

http://www.wheels24.co.za/News/Guid...ry-level-cars-for-less-than-r160-000-20171023
 
AA South Africa rates 25 sub-R160k cars for safety…

The Automobile Association has released its second “Entry Level Vehicle Safety Report” assessing the safety features of 25 cars currently available in South Africa for under R160 000.

This price-cap is R10 000 (or some 6,7%) more than the vehicles included in the inaugural report last year, to account for inflation.

The AA says the purpose of the research is to “highlight the importance of safety features in new cars, understand how these features can save lives, and encourage new car buyers to consider safety in their decisions, and not only price”.

“Price is, unfortunately, a main driving factor in people’s decisions to buy vehicles. What we would like to see more of is people considering other elements of the vehicles they intend buying such as safety features, which can mean the difference between life and death,” the AA said in a statement.

The Association noted that this was “especially important” as many of the people who were buying or driving entry-level vehicles were those with the least driving experience, making safety features even more critical.

“In our first report last year, we highlighted the disconnect between price and safety on entry-level vehicles; cheaper models seemed to have limited safety features. It is disappointing that vehicles listed in last year’s report, most of which are still on sale, carry similar, if not the same, limited safety equipment as standard,” the AA noted.

The 25 vehicles surveyed were evaluated against the number of active safety features they have (ABS and electronic stability control), and passive safety features (airbags).

AA scoring Vehicles with an NCAP rating from Europe were awarded points according to the safety rating they achieved. However, the scoring for the NCAP rating was applied only if the model of the vehicle on sale in South Africa was confirmed to be identical to the model that received the NCAP rating initially.

The AA emphasised that the survey was the result of “desktop research”, specifically assessing safety features only. It did not consider the structural integrity of the driver/passenger compartment.

The 25 vehicles were categorised into three groups (acceptable, moderate and poor) based on their safety ratings, according to the AA survey. Of the 25 vehicles assessed, only two were categorised as having acceptable safety. Thirteen of the vehicles were categorised as having moderate safety, and ten were classified as having poor safety.

In addition to scoring the vehicles purely on safety features, the report also considered safety weighed against affordability. In this scenario, the score achieved by a vehicle for its safety features was measured against its cost, to arrive at a Safety/Affordability Score.

Considering this, only one car achieved an acceptable Safety/Affordability Score, while ten are rated as poor on the scale. Fourteen of the vehicles were rated as moderate of the Safety/Affordability scale. See the infographic below (and the table above) for the list of the vehicles assessed, their safety ratings and their Safety/Affordability scores.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/aa-south-africa-rates-25-sub-r160k-cars-for-safety/

ad1e8158be722ea04916abbac23aed48.jpg
 
SA's small cars are just not safe enough

Is it time for all cars sold in South Africa to have compulsory basic safety features like ABS brakes and dual front airbags?

With our country in the grips of a road-safety crisis and more than 14 000 people dying on the roads every year, having such basic life-saving equipment in every vehicle seems all too obvious. Yet to keep costs down in a very price-conscious market, these safety features are absent in a number of budget cars.

This week the AA released its second annual Entry-Level Vehicle Safety Report, and of the 25 vehicles in South Africa priced under R160 000, the report found that only two are categorised as having acceptable safety. Thirteen of the vehicles were categorised as having moderate safety, and ten are classified as having poor safety.

The 25 vehicles surveyed were evaluated against the number of active safety features they have (anti-lock braking systems, electronic stability control), and passive safety features (airbags). Vehicles with an NCAP rating from Europe were awarded points according to the safety rating they achieved.

The only two cars listed with an acceptable rating were the Toyota Aygo 1.0 and Nissan Micra 1.2 Visia+, both of which are equipped with ABS, as well as front and side airbags (the Visia+ has since been replaced by the Micra Active Visia which has ABS and dual front airbags but no side airbags).

The sub R160 000 vehicles classified as having moderate safety were the Chery QQ3 1.1 TXE, Chevrolet Spark 1.2 Curve, Mitsubishi Mirage 1.2 GL, BAIC D20 hatch 1.3, Chery J2 1.5 TX, Kia Picanto 1.0 Street, Suzuki Swift hatch 1.2 GA, Mahindra KUV100 1.2 G80, Tata Vista 1.4 Ignis, Suzuki Swift DZire sedan 1.2, Honda Brio hatch 1.2 Trend, Tata Bolt hatch 1.2T XMS, and the Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GA.

These cars are all equipped with ABS brakes and dual front airbags, but no side airbags.

The vehicles in that price range with a poor rating were the Renault Kwid 1.0 Expression, Kia Picanto 1.0 Start, Datsun Go+ 1.2 Lux, Kia Picanto 1.2 Start, Hyundai i10 1.1 Motion, Chery QQ3 0.8 TE (no airbags), Datsun Go 1.2 Mid (no airbags), Tata Indica 1.4 LGi (no airbags), Tata Vista 1.4 Ini Bounce (no airbags), and Tata Manza 1.4 Ini (no airbags). Common to all these vehicles is the absence of ABS brakes, and the presence of only a driver’s airbag or no airbags at all (as indicated).

Many of these cars with poor safety ratings - particularly the Datsun Go and Renault Kwid - sell in high numbers and it’s clear that price plays a more important role than safety to many cash-strapped South African consumers.

The AA says the purpose of its research is to highlight the importance of safety features in new cars, understand how these features can save lives, and encourage new car buyers to consider safety in their decisions, and not only price. We agree wholeheartedly, as it can mean the difference between life and death.

The AA further notes that many of the people who are buying or driving entry-level vehicles are often those with the least driving experience and this makes safety features even more critical.

One might argue that consumers who choose to drive unsafe cars should live with the consequences of their decisions, but that is a callous view which doesn’t take into account the broken families left behind by the loss of loved ones in road accidents.

We understand that such safety features add to the cost of a car, and the idea of having our lawmakers prescribe them as mandatory might be seen as heavy-handed nannying in our very price-sensitive car market. But perhaps an alternative would be for government to incentivise such safety features in cars by giving a financial rebate to car companies who fit them - a saving that would be passed on to customers.

It’s an option to consider, if the government’s truly concerned about the road safety crisis.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/sas-small-cars-are-just-not-safe-enough-11682008

b8b38e79b2ce618c497c8ba8d6d06db8.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X