The latest Euro NCAP crash test results are in, and I'm afraid it's bad news for BMW as the BMW i3 electric city car scored four out of five starts in the small family car category. Here's why.
Carbon fiber is super strong, but the i3's advanced construction alone isn't enough to satisfy the crash scientists at Euro NCAP. As it turns out, while the i3 is good at saving polar bears, it's not as friendly to pedestrians, and the occupant's side impact protection could be better too:
In the side barrier test, the i3 scored maximum points, with good protection of all body regions. In the more severe side pole impact, dummy readings of rib compression indicated that protection of the chest was weak. The front seats and head restraints provided marginal protection against whiplash in the event of a rear-end collision.
The bumper scored maximum points for its protection of pedestrians' legs, with good results in all areas tested. However, the front edge of the bonnet was poor and scored no points. The bonnet provided protection to the head that was predominantly adequate or marginal, with poor results recorded at the base of the windscreen and along the stiff windscreen pillars.
Four stars isn't terrible, the Nissan Note and the Ford EcoSport scored similarly, but it shows that there's always room for improvement when it comes to car safety.
So far this year, the following cars got a 5 star Euro NCAP rating: Mitsubishi Outlander, Maserati Ghibli, Mazda 3, Infiniti Q50, Peugeot 308 and 2008, Suzuki SX4 (our review is coming in January), Mercedes-Benz CLA, Jeep Cherokee and Qoros 3 (our review is also coming as soon as the car hits Europe early next year).
The All-Carbon Electric BMW i3 Doesn't Ace Safety Test