Kia Picanto scrapes by in ANCAP audit
Local testing sees affordable hatch retain five-star score.
Kia's most affordable car has retained its five-star safety rating following a surprise crash test in Sydney.
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) bought a Kia Picanto earlier this year following a controversial crash test of a Picanto built for developing markets. While a Picanto tested by Euro NCAP in 2013 offered excellent crash protection, a similar model sold without airbags exhibited structural flaws in the roof and windscreen frame during an ASEAN NCAP test.
ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin says the "considerable variation in structural performance" triggered a surprise test of the Picanto in June.
"We wanted to confirm the validity of our existing rating for the safety of Australian and New Zealand consumers with the key driver being to provide assurance they can rely on ANCAP information when buying a new car," he says.
The Picanto had a five-star safety rating prior to its Australian crash test. That result was partially due to an excellent frontal crash result that saw the car score 15.12 out of 16 for occupant protection in an offset 64km/h collision.
But that number dropped to 12.95 out of 16 when the Picanto was tested in Australia – just enough to retain its five star rating, and enough to earn a "marginal" rating for driver's chest and lower leg protection, indicating what ANCAP describes as "a moderate risk of serious injury".
Goodwin says it is "important that consumers are made aware of these findings".
Kia says "the Picanto went into the ANCAP audit as a five-star safety rated car and at the end of the process it remains a five-star safety rated car". The brand says it remains committed to providing customers with safe and reliable cars.
The Picanto's score sits just ahead of the frontal offset result for the five-star Holden Spark (12.79 out of 16), but behind many rivals including the Suzuki Celerio (13.58), Ford Fiesta (14.9), Toyota Yaris (15.41), Honda Jazz (15.58) and Mazda2 (15.69).
Australia's Picanto differed slightly from the model tested in Europe and Asia. The local model is right-hand-drive, and available only with a larger 1.25-litre engine and four speed automatic transmission that were not fitted to 1.0-litre, manual Picantos tested overseas.
ANCAP has long maintained that differences between local and overseas models reinforce the importance of having a local crash-testing scheme.
