Top-selling Chinese car gets 2-star safety rating in South Africa

The most affordable version of the GWM Haval Jolion sold in South Africa scored a 2-star safety rating in the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) in tests conducted in Germany.

The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) recently bought two entry-level Jolions and shipped them overseas for crash testing.

It expressed its discontent that these tests were not conducted by the South African government or, in some instances, even by the manufacturer for models destined for developing markets.

The Global NCAP front impact test found the Jolion offered good head, neck, and chest protection, while knee protection was marginal. It also provided good protection in the side movable barrier test.

The most affordable Haval Jolion in South Africa features driver, front passenger, and two side body airbags.

However, unlike the model sold in markets like Australia and New Zealand, it has no airbags for head protection. Therefore, the side pole test was not conducted.

Under the revised Global NCAP requirements introduced in July 2022, any vehicle without this protection cannot achieve a score higher than 2 stars for adult protection.

In child occupant protection, the Jolion scored a 3-star rating. While the child dummies received full protection in the dynamic test, the car lacked proper markings and a passenger airbag disabling switch.

The Haval Jolion is GWM’s most popular model in South Africa. It consistently features in the top 10 top-selling models.

In May 2026, 1,345 Jolions were sold in the country, the 7th-highest number for any car in South Africa. The vehicle has been popular due to its extensive feature set and prices starting around R350,000.

The tests come after AA CEO Bobby Ramagwede expressed concern over the quality of metals used in key structural parts of Chinese vehicles.

Before the results of the AA’s test, MyBroadband compiled a list of the top 10 best-selling Chinese cars in South Africa with their NCAP safety ratings in other countries, where available.

We found that although many of these had excellent safety scores in ANCAP and Euro NCAP crash tests, the entry-level versions of those models sold elsewhere often had more airbags, as shown below.

0-star and 1-star ratings in recent tests

Ramagwede advised South African motorists to exercise extreme caution when purchasing a new or used entry-level vehicle.

He said the AA’s recent series of crash tests had shown a worrying trend of entry-level models sold in South Africa lacking adequate crash safety.

“Perhaps more worryingly, very few of the vehicles tested offer safety ratings similar to those of the same models on sale abroad,” Ramagwede said.

Among the other vehicles the AA recently tested that performed poorly were the Hyundai Grand i10 and Toyota Starlet, both of which achieved zero out of five stars for adult occupant protection.

The Starlet was upgraded with additional airbags for side head protection in September 2025, but roughly 20,000 units of the 0-star model were sold before then.

In addition, it seems unlikely that the extra airbags would resolve all its problems, as the Global NCAP tests also found its footwell structure was unstable.

The Starlet is mechanically and structurally identical to the Suzuki Baleno. The only physical differences between the models are aesthetic.

Both models have frequently featured in the top 20 best-selling cars in the country. Ramagwede commended Toyota for committing to addressing the safety concerns.

Another top seller — the Kia Sonet — was also part of the latest tests and scored one out of five for adult occupant protection.

The table below summarises crash test results under the SaferCarsForAfrica programme since the Global NCAP revised its requirements to require side head collision protection to score above 2 stars.

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