Family car gets one star out of five in Euro NCAP crash tests

The new Dacia Jogger MPV should be avoided for safety reasons after it achieved just one star out of five in the latest Euro NCAP crash tests.

While the Dacia Jogger still complies with regulatory safety standards, Euro NCAP has highlighted a multitude of results in its tests that it says raise concerns, despite the car offering some of the latest safety technologies.

We're yet to publish our full review of the Jogger, but it's poor showing in Euro NCAP's test means it'll be a Don't Buy. We prioritise safety and therefore make any car that scores three stars or less in Euro NCAP's tests a Don't Buy.

Read on to find out why the car performed so badly and discover the cars that fared much better.

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Why the Dacia Jogger (£14,995) performed badly

Dacia describes its new Jogger as a 7-seater family car that, thanks to an optional third row of seats, combines the practicality of an estate with the comfort of an SUV. And as you'd expect for a Dacia, its £14,995 price is well below many rivals.

But there's a catch. Safety body Euro NCAP has found that the new car fails to meet the level of safety achieved by many of its rivals. In fact, it found a litany of issues.

When Euro NCAP crashed the car from the front into a deformable barrier, it found protection for the chests and some sections of the legs for front-seat occupants to be 'marginal'. Similarly, protection for the driver's chest was also 'marginal' when presented with a side impact from a deformable barrier.

Euro NCAP also found the car's side-curtain airbag does not extend back far enough to protect occupants in the optional third row of seats.

There is no centre airbag to prevent the driver sliding sideways across the car, resulting in Euro NCAP rating the protection of the driver's head as 'poor' in the event of a side impact from the passenger side of the car.

Meanwhile, in an impact from the rear, protection of the neck from whiplash for those in the rear seats was also rated as 'poor'.

In the case of the dummy of a child aged 10 years, Euro NCAP rated protection of their chest and neck as 'weak' in the car's frontal impact test, and protection of the neck of a 6-year-old dummy as 'marginal'. There is also no seatbelt reminder system for those in the optional third row of seats.

While protection for those in the car was rated as 'good' or 'adequate' in some other tests, your safety shouldn't be a lottery based on the type of accident you're in.

For pedestrians and cyclists involved in a crash with the car, pelvis protection was rated 'poor' over most of the front width of the car. Euro NCAP also found that the car's autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system was also unable to detect road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, although it performed well in response to other vehicles.

This safety record is well below that of the other family cars Euro NCAP tested this month - so while the car still meets regulatory safety standards, in terms of safety it's simply not a match for other new cars.

Are there better Dacia cars to choose? Check out all our Dacia car reviews.

Best cars for 2022 - we put all cars through hundreds of road and lab tests, so you can buy with confidence

Renault Megane E-Tech (£38,000)

Euro NCAP score: 5/5

Arriving in late 2022, the Megane E-Tech may share its name with the long-running Megane hatchback, but this is a totally different proposition. It uses Renault's all-new electric car platform - the first in Renault's new generation of electric vehicles - and is a close rival to the Volkswagen ID.3.

Renault says the hatchback offers a 'breakthrough design', with an SUV-like front end. It's certainly cutting-edge if safety is anything to go by, scoring a perfect five stars out of five in Euro NCAP's crash tests.

It performed strongly in individual tests, with scores of 85% and 88% for protecting adults and children, and 79% for its safety assistance systems. It scored slightly weaker for protecting pedestrians and cyclists - 65% - due to the protection of a pedestrian's pelvis in the event of a collision rated as 'poor' over much of the width of the front of the car.

We've just published our first impressions of this car - find out what our experts thought in our Renault Megane E-Tech first drive review.

Volkswagen ID.5 (£50,550)

Euro NCAP score: 5/5

The Volkswagen ID.5 is the latest in Volkswagen's new ID line of all-electric cars, and is an alternative to the ID.4 SUV for more style-conscious drivers - the ID.5 adds a sweeping coupe-style roofline towards the back.

This added style comes at no compromise to safety, with the ID.5 achieving a full five stars out of five in Euro NCAP's tests.

The ID.5 received exceptional scores in all areas, including a near-perfect 93% score for protecting adults inside the car.

We'll be reviewing the Volkswagen ID.5 soon - in the meantime, find out which are our top-rated Volkswagen cars.

Volkswagen Polo (£17,415)

Euro NCAP score: 5/5

The current-generation Volkswagen Polo small family hatchback first launched in 2017. It got a mid-life facelift in 2021, including stylish tweaks and digital instrument display as standard.

The Polo offers superb safety, achieving five stars out of five in Euro NCAP's tests, with very strong scores in all areas. It even pips the ID.5 with a 94% score for protecting adults in the car.

We'll be updating our review for the new Polo facelift shortly, but you can see if the underlying car is a great starting point in our comprehensive Volkswagen Polo review.

DS 4 (£26,860)

Euro NCAP score: 4/5
(5/5 with optional safety pack)

The all-new DS 4 is the latest contender in the premium hatchback market, aiming to take on established rivals such as the Mercedes-Benz A-Class (£25,052) and Audi A1 Sportback (£19,105). DS promises it'll stand out with as cutting-edge technology and a practical design.

Not all the safety kit comes as standard, so Euro NCAP tested it both with and without the optional safety pack. The car scores four stars out of five without safety pack, but five stars with it.

This safety pack costs £350 extra on the basic Bastille+ PureTech trim, and is available as standard on most higher trim lines.

The car scores highly overall, and the safety pack raises its lowest score for safety assistance from 65% to an exceptional 82%.

Without the extra safety pack, the car still has an AEB system that can recognise pedestrians and cyclists. However, according to Euro NCAP it only performs 'marginally well' in reacting to other cars in the event of an imminent collision. The 'Safety Pack Plus' uses radar as well as cameras to detect imminent collisions, making it much more effective.

We'll be testing the DS 4 in due course, but is the DS brand any good? Find out what our experts think by heading over to our DS car reviews.

Honda HR-V, (£26,960)

Euro NCAP score: 4/5

The HR-V is Honda's smallest SUV - it's a smaller mid-sized car. Similar to the Honda Jazz, the HR-V available only as a full hybrid (where the battery charges itself from the engine and when braking, so you don't need to plug it in).

Honda promises the HR-V offers 'simplicity of design' for families, and claims the full hybrid power offers improved fuel economy and reduced emissions.

It's a reasonable option for safety too, with Euro NCAP rating it a four stars out of five in its tests.

Only a small number of factors reduced the rating from five. In a side impact, the 10-year-old dummy's head was rated as having only 'weak' protection due to the speed of its movement, but it passed in all other child assessments.

Other than this, issues were minor. When the car collided into a front rigid barrier, the rear passenger dummy's chest pressure was rated as 'marginal', and for a far-side impact, the lack of a centre airbag meant Euro NCAP rated this 'marginal' due to the driver sliding across the car. For pedestrians and cyclists, protection of their pelvis in the event of a collision was rated 'poor' across most of the front width of the car.

Find out what we thought of the Honda HR-V in our Honda HR-V first drive review.

All prices are based on what people pay (including discounts), sourced from 500 franchised dealers across the UK each month.