Dacia Jogger given rare one-star safety rating by Euro NCAP

UK’s cheapest seven-seater criticised for passenger protection and lack of active driver assistance

The new Dacia Jogger MPV has been given a rare one-star rating by safety agency Euro NCAP.

The budget seven-seater was criticised for its relatively poor protection of passengers and for a lack of active safety systems.

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The Jogger’s score is based on testing of the Dacia Sandero Stepway, which itself scored a lowly two stars last year. Euro NCAP noted “their structure is practically identical [and] Euro NCAP…performed additional tests where necessary”.

The Jogger’s score was lower because it failed to include any additional safety features to protect passengers in the rear-most row of seats. Testers found there were no seat belt reminders for the third row of seats and the side-curtain airbag does not extend far enough back to provide protection for those in the rear row.

The Jogger’s rating was based largely on testing of the Sandero Stepway, with which it shares a platformThe Jogger’s rating was based largely on testing of the Sandero Stepway, with which it shares a platform
The Jogger’s rating was based largely on testing of the Sandero Stepway, with which it shares a platform

The Jogger also scored relatively poorly for overall passenger protection, scoring 70% for adults and 69% for children - significantly lower than most other vehicles tested in recent years - and some aspects were rated “weak” or”marginal”, although others were marked as “good”.

Matthew Avery, chief research strategy officer at Thatcham Research said: “For a family car this safety performance is disappointing. The vehicle may be more affordable than others in the same category, but in terms of safety it appears that you do get what you pay for.”

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The current Euro NCAP tests reward cars that feature the latest active driver assistance systems designed to prevent or lessen the impact of collisions. The Jogger, which starts at £15,345, was criticised for lacking many features which are increasingly common on even basic models and scored just 39% for safety assist.