- The Jeep Avenger received a lackluster three-star safety rating from Euro NCAP.
- The Dacia Duster and Suzuki Swift were the only other models with similar ratings.
- Most new cars in the latest Euro NCAP ratings achieved the top five-star rating.
Euro NCAP latest safety ratings have delivered an unwelcome surprise for Stellantis, with the Jeep Avenger earning a rather disappointing three-star score. In a world where most new models easily bag the coveted five stars, Jeep’s smallest SUV barely scraped by, landing in the same category as the budget-friendly Dacia Duster tested just a couple of months ago.
Despite Euro NCAP’s nod to the Jeep Avenger’s impressive trophy haul—including the 2023 European Car of the Year award— and an enthusiastic response from the press, the subcompact SUV’s safety performance doesn’t quite align with the high expectations set by its accolades.
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More specifically, the Avenger scored 79% on Adult Occupant, 70% on Child Occupant, 59% on Vulnerable Road Users, and 53% on Safety Assist. It will be interesting to see if the closely-related Fiat 600 and Alfa Romeo Junior SUVs will score any better than the Jeep when they get tested in the future.
According to the safety organization, the Jeep Avenger provided “poor chest protection to a 10-year-old in the side impact test, and is not equipped with a child presence detection system, already standard in competitors’ cars”. The SUV also fell short in “several crash avoidance tests involving pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists.” To top it off, the forward collision warning system’s audio signal was labeled as “not effective,” though Stellantis does offer an update to address this issue following Euro NCAP’s persistence.
Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General Euro NCAP, commented: “These test results demonstrate a clear lack of ambition for a manufacturer that has shown much innovation in its car design and for a brand that is directly targeting the family segment. There is growing competition in the car industry, and Stellantis has had to take several steps to secure the future of its brands. But safety should not be where a car manufacturer makes its savings.”
And it’s not just Stellantis feeling the heat. The latest Dacia Duster, despite its new Renault-sourced underpinnings, didn’t exactly impress. With scores of 70% for Adult Occupant Protection, 84% for Child Occupant Protection, 60% for Vulnerable Road Users, and 57% for Safety Assist, it doesn’t quite deliver.
Euro NCAP isn’t impressed with Dacia’s “no-frills” approach, criticizing the Romanian automaker for “previously shunning active safety technology in favor of affordability.” While the new Duster does include the legally required ADAS systems—AEB, lane-keeping assist, intelligent speed limiters, and driver fatigue detection—it barely scratches the surface of Euro NCAP’s stringent standards and reveals “limited ambition” in occupant protection.
Not All News Is Bad News
The latest round of safety tests brought some brighter spots. The Audi Q6 e-tron, Ford Explorer, XPENG G6, and Subaru Crosstrek/Impreza all clinched the coveted five-star rating. Meanwhile, the Renault Symbioz and its closely related sibling, the Captur, managed a respectable four stars—falling short of the high safety standards Renault has set in the past.
In the previous Euro NCAP results, several models achieved five-star ratings, including the Renault Espace/Rafale, Skoda Superb/Kodiaq, VW Passat, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and BMW X2. The only outliers were the Dacia Duster and Suzuki Swift, both of which limped in with a three-star rating.
JEEP AVENGER
DACIA DUSTER III
OTHER MODELS
