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2018 Dacia Duster Gets 3-Star Euro NCAP Rating, Whiplash Protection Is Marginal

The 2018 Dacia Duster has impressed us so far, with the budget compact SUV mixing its more mature looks with a more refined driving experience. Alas, it seems that the crossover can't escape the crash test performance issues of its predecessor. The Euro NCAP test results for the second-generation Duster are in and the high-riding Dacia once again receives a three-star rating.
2018 Dacia Duster Gets 3-Star Euro NCAP Rating 7 photos
Photo: Euro NCAP/YouTube
2018 Dacia Duster Gets 3-Star Euro NCAP Rating2018 Dacia Duster Gets 3-Star Euro NCAP Rating2018 Dacia Duster Gets 3-Star Euro NCAP Rating2018 Dacia Duster Gets 3-Star Euro NCAP Rating2018 Dacia Duster Gets 3-Star Euro NCAP Rating2018 Dacia Duster Gets 3-Star Euro NCAP Rating
In terms of adult occupant protection, the Duster II achieved a score of 71 percent, while this dropped to 66 percent for child occupants and 56 percent for pedestrians. As for the safety assist, the score goes as low as 37 percent, since the only standard features for this category are the seatbelt reminder (all-round) and the driver-set speed limiter.

The greatest problems are related to the marginal head protection: from the driver's full frontal impact (deceleration values were too high) from the whiplash injury risk (rear-end impact), which concerns all occupants.

Adults occupants

Nevertheless, the 2018 Dacia Duster did provide good protection to all critical body areas in the side impact, as well as in the more severe side pole impact (only the chest protection fell one grade below, being adequate).

Child occupants

The serious issue here comes from the 6-year-old dummy indicating marginal chest protection in the frontal offset test.

Those of you seeking to go into the detail are invited to check out the complete Euro NCAP report in the attached PDF below.

The big picture

The new Dacia Duster rides on a modified version of its predecessor's platform and it seems that the investment made in the engineering updates for the generation change was less than sufficient on the impact protection front.

The safety issues of Renault's budget brand have always been under the spotlights, since most of Dacia's lineup is comprised of three-star models, with only a small part of the range offering four-star protection.

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 Download: 2018 Dacia Duster Gets 3-Star Euro NCAP Rating (PDF)

About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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