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Renault Twizy Leads Euro NCAP Quadricycle Crash Tests, Still Dangerous

Today is an important day for quadricycles, with these hybrids that mix motorcycles and cars receiving their Euro NCAP test results for the first time. We’ve already talked about the poor overall scores and now it’s time to focus on the leader of the pack, the Renault Twizy.
Renault Twizy Euro NCAP crash test 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Frontal impact

It was only normal for the Twizy to top the three other quadricycles tested, given Renault’s dedication to safety. We’ll remind you that Euro NCAP created dedicated tests for quadricycles, with the Twizy earning 6 out of 16 points in the frontal crash test. The safety body tested three other quadricycles, but their scores were split between 4 and 2 points.

The Twizy offered “Good” protection for the head, “Marginal” protection for the torso, but it came with “Poor” protection for the upper legs and neck. Mind you, the lower leg area was not assessed in this series of tests.

The Twizy’s safety structure did its job well, keeping its shape during the crash, while the steering wheel’s movement was kept within reasonable limits. The Twizy’s airbag, together with its four-point safety belt kept the driver in his seat. Alas, the extra rigid structures meant the dummy’s neck was subjected to strong forces.

Another issue was encountered in the area right in front of the driver’s knees, due the hard structures present here.

Side Impact

The structure of the Twizy also kept its shape well during the side impact. Still, the head of the dummy was exposed outside the vehicle, something that can lead to very dangerous events in a real-world crash. Moreover, Euro NCAP explains that “much of the force on the dummy was deflected to parts of the dummy which do not reflect a real body and protection of the chest area was penalised.” The dummy readings for the chest area were “Marginal”, so the overall protection was rated as “Poor”. As for the head area, this received a “Marginal” rating.

In a rather surprising manner, the Twizy came last in the side impact test, earning 7 out of 16 points. Nevertheless, the difference to the other three models is smaller than the one recorded in terms of the frontal impact - these received 7.9, 8 and 9 points, respectively.

The Overall view

When we drove the Renault Twizy, we found an appealing mix of practicality and fun, but it seems like Renault still has some work to do. We’re not quite sure the carmaker will work to improve the Twizy’s crash performance though. We have to keep in mind that while Renault wants a five-star safety rating for all its models, its low-cost brand, Dacia, usually comes with four-star vehicles. Renault even explained that it doesn’t see the investment required to push Dacia to five stars as a viable proposition.

While the French automaker makes its decision, you can check out the Twizy’s Euro NCAP ordeal in the clip below.

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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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