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Fiat Panda gets zero-star Euro NCAP safety rating

Ageing hatchback fails miserably in its first re-test since 2011.


Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has been dealt another blow in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash tests, with the 2018 Fiat Panda failing to score even a one-star rating.

Last tested in 2011, the third-generation Panda lacks any form of active safety equipment – with seatbelt reminders the only feature to score points in the area Safety Assist.

It wasn't just the lack of assistance technologies that hurt it, though. The Panda scored 45 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection and just 16 per cent for Child Occupant Protection.

Results included weak driver chest protection in the frontal offset test, poor rear passenger chest protection in the full-width frontal test, and poor rear seat whiplash protection in the rear impact test.

The Panda also scored zero points in the frontal and lateral impact tests for 6- and 10-year old children, with weak chest protection for older kids in the frontal impact test and poor head and neck protection across the board.

"Chest decelerations indicated weak protection of the chest of the 10-year old. In the side barrier test, the head of the 6-year old dummy was not properly contained within the protective side of the restraint and dummy readings indicated poor protection of this critical body area, also causing high injury risks to the 10-year old due to head-to-head contact," Euro NCAP said in its report.

Following the shocking results from both the Panda and the all-new Jeep Wrangler (one star), Euro NCAP's secretary general, Michiel van Ratingen, called out FCA for not offering equivalent safety levels to rival brands.

"It is truly disappointing to see a brand-new car being put on sale in 2018 with no autonomous braking system and no lane assistance," he said of the Wrangler.

"It is high time we saw a product from the Fiat Chrysler group offering safety to rival its competitors."

This is the second time a vehicle has been given a zero-star rating in Euro NCAP's history, the first being another Fiat product, the Punto hatchback, which received the fail score in December last year as part of the safety firm's re-tests of older vehicles still being sold as new cars.

Neither the Panda or Punto are on sale in Australia anymore – they were both axed in 2015 – though they continue to be popular in markets like their home nation of Italy.

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