An "unstable" structure, "insufficient pressure" in the driver's airbag, and doors that didn't unlock after a crash weren't enough to stop this new EV from earning three stars for safety.
Electric Cars
One of Europe's cheapest electric cars from China – just over half the price of a Tesla Model Y – is deemed to have "performed poorly" in a new crash test after "multiple" of the welds holding its body together failed in a frontal collision.
Despite what safety authority Euro NCAP has called an "unstable body shell" – with doors that did not unlock as designed after the crash – the Dongfeng Box still earned three stars out of five for safety.
It comes weeks after the MG 3 hatch upgraded its safety rating from three to four stars, despite the driver's seat twisting in a crash test after one of the latches failed for the first time in Euro NCAP's history.
The crash tests have shone a fresh spotlight on a gap in Euro NCAP and Australian sister organisation ANCAP's rating systems, which do not allow for a "deduction or override in the case of such a component failure," as described by the former in reference to the MG fault.
The Dongfeng Box is a small electric car now on sale in Europe – but not available in Australia – which is similar in size to a petrol VW Polo, yet cheaper to buy, at €23,499 ($AU42,000).
It provided "good protection" in the side-impact crash test, but it is the frontal-offset test – where the test vehicle hits a 1400kg trolley at a 50 per cent overlap, designed to simulate the real-world collision type responsible for the most deaths – that proved problematic.
"It was seen that multiple spot-welds had failed on the [windscreen] A-pillar, compromising the ability of the bodyshell to withstand further loading," Euro NCAP said in its safety report.
"There was also damage evident to the front of the sill [along the side of the body], and the top of the windscreen pillar to cant rail [the structure along the side of the roof]."
The safety organisation called the Box's structure "unstable," adding that the failures can cause the body shell to "lose its integrity," and that they "raise concerns over the protection it would offer at higher speeds".
Euro NCAP found the Dongfeng Box's "automatic door locking mechanism ... failed to unlock," which would make it harder for first responders to access occupants within the vehicle.
It also found "insufficient pressure in the airbag to prevent the driver’s head from ‘bottoming out’ onto the steering wheel," and "structures in the dashboard ... considered to present a risk of injury to the legs of some occupants".
Euro NCAP ruled that analysis of the deceleration of the crash-test trolley – and the deformable barrier the car hit – would make the city hatch "a somewhat aggressive impact partner in a frontal collision."
It is unusual for small cars – with low bonnet lines and modest body weights, compared to high-riding utes and SUVs – to record sub-standard performance in this area.
The lack of a front-centre airbag also saw the Box marked down for its ability to prevent frontal occupants from colliding with each other in a side-impact crash.
Despite so many criticisms of its crash performance, the Box was still awarded 69 per cent for adult occupant protection, below the 70 per cent needed to be eligible for a four-star overall rating.
It is only 5 percentage points lower than the Volkswagen T-Cross, which also earned three stars in the latest Euro NCAP testing, but was said to have a "stable" body shell and "good protection of the knees and femurs" of first-row occupants in the frontal-offset test.
Euro NCAP did, however, note "good protection" in the side-impact barrier test, "at least adequate" protection in the side-impact pole test, and front seats and head restraints that provided "good protection against whiplash injuries" in a rear-end crash.
The Box performed better in other pillars of assessment: 81 per cent for child occupant protection, 67 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 77 per cent for safety assist technology.
Those results would have made it eligible for four stars overall, with two of the assessment categories in five-star territory.
Euro NCAP scores are determined by a vehicle's lowest-performing category, with the adult occupant protection score limiting the Box to three stars.
Dongfeng has not issued a public statement on the Euro NCAP crash result.
MG, meanwhile, has said since the MG 3 crash test that it is "working closely with our colleagues in Europe and at our headquarters in Shanghai ... this includes reviewing the outcome of the recent Euro NCAP testing process".
"The Dongfeng Box doesn’t match the safety performance of other small EVs tested by Euro NCAP," Dr Aled Williams, Euro NCAP programme director, said in a media statement.
"It was a concern that the spot welds were compromised during our tests and could be further compromised in higher-speed accidents. Such a failure must be addressed to match competitor vehicles in what’s a fast-growing part of the EV market."
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
