New Renault Duster Scores 3 Stars In Euro NCAP Crash Tests

It has scored 28.1/40 and 41.6/49 in adult occupant protection and child occupant protection, respectively

• The passenger compartment of the new Duster was rated ‘stable’.

• It scored 70 percent in adult occupant protection and 84 percent in child occupant protection.

• Globally, the Duster gets three powertrain options, one of which has an all-wheel-drive setup.

• India launch is expected by October 2025, with prices starting from Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom).

The third-generation Renault Duster (sold as Dacia Duster in some international markets), has been crash tested by Euro NCAP (new car assessment programme), where it scored a 3-star safety rating. Let us see a detailed report in this crash test:

Adult Occupant Protection - 28.1/40 Pts (70 Percent)

As per Euro NCAP protocols, the 2025 Duster was rated on four parameters, including three impact tests (front, lateral and rear) as well as rescue and extrication. The new Renault SUV offered ‘good’ protection to the heads of the front passengers, and ‘weak’ to ‘adequate’ protection for their chest. It showed ‘good’ protection of the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger. The passenger compartment was rated as ‘stable.’

In the side barrier test, protection of the chest was ‘adequate’ and that of other critical body areas was ‘good’. In the more severe side pole impact, protection of all critical body areas was ‘good’. Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated ‘good’ protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.

Under the rescue and extrication parameter, the safety authority checks and awards a car based on the availability of a rescue sheet, emergency-calling system, multi-collision brake, and submergence check. The 2025 Renault Duster has an e-calling system, which alerts the emergency services in the event of a crash. The SUV’s doors could be opened even after power loss due to water submersion, and the car can also avoid secondary impacts after a collision.

FYI- A rescue sheet is developed and distributed by car manufacturers for each model on the market and helps to identify potential hazards such as the location of airbags, pre-tensioners, batteries and high-voltage cables, as well as the safest places to cut open the structure.

Also Read: 2024 Maruti Suzuki Scores 3 Stars In Euro NCAP Crash Tests

Child Occupant Protection - 41.6/49 Pts (84 percent)

The Duster offered ‘adequate’ protection to the neck of the 10-year-old dummy in the frontal offset test. However, neck protection was ‘good’ for the 6-year-old dummy, and the chest and head protection were deemed to be ‘good’ for both dummies in both frontal and lateral impact tests.

Vulnerable Road Users (VRU) Protection - 38.2/63 Pts (60 Percent)

The VRU part of the test assesses how safe the car is for those who might run into the car or fall over it by accident. The new Renault Duster’s bonnet provides ‘adequate’ protection to pedestrians and ‘good’ protection to cyclists. Protection of the pelvis was ‘poor’ at all test locations, and the Duster scored no points. However,  protection of the femur was ‘good’ at all test points while that of the knee and tibia was mixed. That said, it was rated as ‘poor’ when it was tested on the A-pillars. On the contrary, the car’s autonomous emergency braking (AEB) was recorded to be doing an ‘adequate’ job of detecting pedestrians and ‘good’ for cyclists to avoid collisions in most scenarios.

Safety Assist - 10.3/18 (57 Percent)

The global-spec third-gen Duster has 6 airbags, an electronic parking brake, electronic stability control (ESC), hill assist, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). As per the Euro NCAP crash test, the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system was ‘adequate’ in detecting other vehicles and stopping to prevent a collision. Moreover, the compact SUV lost points as it has no occupant detection system in the rear seats. The lane support and driver drowsiness systems were labelled ‘marginal’ and ‘poor’ respectively.

Also See: Hyundai Creta Led The Way With Over 16,000 Units Sold In Compact SUVs June 2024 Sales

Renault Duster: An Overview

The third-gen Renault Duster was unveiled globally in November 2023, now featuring a more rugged exterior and a more premium cabin. It comes with 3 powertrain options:

• A 1.2-litre turbo-petrol powertrain paired with a 48 V mild hybrid system, generating a total of 130 PS

• A 1.6-litre strong hybrid petrol engine paired to 2 electric motors powered by a 1.2kWh battery pack, generating a peak output of 140 PS

• A 1-litre petrol-LPG powered unit with a 6-speed transmission powering all 4 wheels

The Duster is equipped with a 10.1-inch infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a 7-inch digital driver’s display. Other features include wireless phone charging, a 6-speaker Arkamys 3D sound system, and cruise control.

India Launch and Price

The third-generation Renault Duster is expected to launch in India sometime in 2025. Here, it could be priced from Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards. It will take on the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Honda Elevate, MG Astor, and Citroen C3 Aircross while the Tata Curvv and Citroen Basalt will serve as SUV-coupe alternatives to the Renault SUV.

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