The Renault Duster doesn’t only fall short on safety, but it miserably fails to achieve any stars as well.
Tested in its most basic version that is sold in India with no airbags, the SUV recorded the disappointing result for adult occupant protection, in Global NCAP’s latest session, whereas the rear seat child occupant protection brought it a 2-star rating.
“It is troubling that during the UN Road Safety Week, we yet again encounter a zero-star car in our crash testing in India. Renault produce the Duster in a number of markets, and yet it seems content to provide a version for India, which falls so far short on safety“, Global NCAP’s Secretary General, David Ward, commented.
Following the result, the French automaker asked Global NCAP to test another version of the Duster, which features a single driver airbag, and this one scored 3 stars for adult occupant protection.
However, safety specialists decided to further investigate the SUV, after Latin NCAP tested a similar variant some two years ago, when it scored 4 stars, only to find out that the Indian Duster features an airbag smaller than the one offered on the South American model, and this corresponds to the differences in protection.
“This version of the Duster, with an airbag, scores three stars, but this too fell short as it was fitted with a smaller airbag. A model with a correctly sized airbag should be provided as standard“, added Ward.
The entry-level Renault Duster is the latest in a long string of vehicles that failed to achieve any stars in their cheapest forms. The list includes the Renault Kwid, Suzuki Maruti Alto, Swift, Celerio, Eeco, Hyundai Eon, i10, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Figo, Datsun Go, Mahindra Scorpio, Chevrolet Enjoy, Tata Zest, and Nano.