Quadricycle Safety Is Still a Big Issue, EuroNCAP Says

EuroNCAP warns interested customers of quadricycles about the low level of safety provided by these vehicles.
The organization has benchmarked four models currently available on the market, and the results show that these vehicles have barely improved from the models of 2014, following the same test criteria.

EuroNCAP published the crash test results of the Aixam Crossover GTR, Bajaj Qute, Chatenet CH30, and Microcar M.GO Family.

These heavy quadricycles were assessed according to the independent organization’s criteria, established in 2014 with the propose of helping customers compare the safety levels of this category of vehicles.

None of the mentioned models exceeded the overall score of two stars, a disappointing result for the organization.

For easy comprehension of their protection estimates, EuroNCAP has been using the same safety rating display system for quadricycles as they have for cars, but the two vehicle categories are tested in different conditions and following separate metrics.

As in the case of vehicles tested by EuroNCAP in different types or even in different years (benchmarks have become more and more strict over the years), quadricycles are only comparable to each other, and not with conventional automobiles.

The organization explains in a press release that the level of safety provided by this category of vehicles is concerning, as testing results show “little improvement since the last tests performed in 2014.”

As usual, some models perform better than others, but the standard of protection provided for the driver is “generally very low” and it “leads to serious risks in collisions with other vehicles or obstacles.” A clarified translation of the terms above would be that these quadricycles are hazardous in the case of an accident, and there is a risk of severe injury or death for those who suffer a crash in one of these vehicles, also sold as “microcars.”

Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, EuroNCAP’s Secretary General, stated that “legislators continue to give a false impression to customers that these vehicles are fit for purpose by not challenging the manufacturers to do more.” He also says he is “disappointed to notice that quadricycles are still lacking basic safety features that are common in small cars.”

Even EuroNCAP’s press release mentioned that the inferior performance in crash tests of quadricycles is “far below” a similarly-sized passenger car which can be acquired second-hand for a lower price. These are the words of EuroNCAP representatives, who recommend interested microcar customers to buy second-hand vehicles (of recent manufacture and comparable size) instead, all because the latter were developed to comply with stricter crash safety standards.

EuroNCAP officials claim that simple design changes could lead to “significant improvements” in the safety of quadricycles, and that these come with “little-added weight or cost.” However, the manufacturers of these vehicles are not motivated to pursue this direction as the European legislators do not require them to build microcars as safe as automobiles.