Fiat Panda Flunks European Safety Test

The 2018 Fiat Panda minicar received a zero-star rating from the European New Car Assessment Program’s latest assessment—joining the 2017 Fiat Punto as the only vehicles to score so poorly.

The Panda (right) failed to earn more than a 50% rating in any of the safety organization’s four testing categories (adult and child occupants, vulnerable road user and safety assist). Of particular concern was the car’s 16% score for child occupants, which compares with a 79% industry average in the category.

The Panda also was faulted for not offering automatic emergency braking (AEB) and other safety systems. In addition, the safety group said the car’s rear seatbelt reminder system failed to meet requirements.

Another poor performer in this month’s Euro NCAP testing was the 2018 Jeep Wrangler, which achieved just a one-star rating. The vehicle’s lowest score (32%) was in the safety assist category, due in part to not having AEB. The Wrangler also performed poorly in occupant protection during crash tests.

All six of the other vehicles tested this month received top five-star ratings. Of these, the Audi Q3, Jaguar I-Pace, Peugeot 508 and Volvo V60 were deemed to be among the 10 safest European models tested in 2018, with the BMW X5 and Hyundai Santa Fe close behind.

Full results are available on the group’s website.