Renault's Captur and the Chevrolet Trax – soon to be marketed in Australia wearing Holden badges – have each achieved a five-star safety rating courtesy of crash safety testing authority, Euro NCAP.
It's good news for Renault and Holden, but not unexpected. Captur is the 15th Renault to achieve the maximum rating from Euro NCAP, the company has claimed in a press release, and the Opel Mokka, which shares its platform with the Trax, scored five stars last year.
Both the tiny SUVs performed better in the crash safety testing than the other two vehicles tested in the same round: the Nissan Evalia (a small MPV) and the Dacia Sandero.
Euro NCAP revealed from its crash data that the Captur achieved 88 per cent safety for adult occupants, 79 per cent for children, 61 per cent for pedestrians, and 81 per cent for safety assist. In contrast, the Trax performed slightly better overall, achieving 94 per cent for adult protection, 85 per cent for children, 64 per cent for pedestrians, and level-pegging with the Renault at 81 per cent for safety assist – which assesses the active safety features fitted to each car, like stability control and seatbelt reminders.
By delivering optimal secondary safety characteristics such vehicles seem assured of success.