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The Toyota Starlet has received a four-star rating for adult occupant protection in Global NCAP’s latest SaferCarsForAfrica crash test. The result comes after Toyota upgraded the hatchback with six airbags as standard.
The latest Starlet also received three stars for child occupant protection. The car tested by Global NCAP is manufactured in India and is sold in South Africa, where it is one of the more popular models, with more than 20,000 units sold.
The latest result is a significant improvement over the rating published by Global NCAP in May this year. The earlier test was conducted on the two-airbag version of the Starlet, which received zero stars for adult occupant protection and three stars for child occupant protection.
That version came with driver and front passenger airbags and Electronic Stability Control as standard. However, it did not have airbags to protect occupants’ heads in a side impact. Toyota later updated the Starlet, making six airbags standard. The additional airbags include side curtain airbags, which provide protection for the head in a side-impact crash.
Global NCAP said it gave Toyota the option of voluntarily submitting the six-airbag Starlet for another test. The manufacturer declined the offer. Global NCAP then decided to purchase and test the updated Starlet using its own funding. The latest test showed that the six-airbag version scored four stars for adult occupant protection, while retaining its three-star rating for child occupant protection. The safety upgrade was carried out as part of a production update at the plant in India.
Richard Woods, Chief Executive Officer of Global NCAP, said the four-star result shows the improvement that can be achieved when manufacturers make safety equipment standard. The Automobile Association of South Africa also welcomed the improvement, with its CEO Bobby Ramagwede stating that the result demonstrates how changes to the safety equipment of entry-level cars can improve their crash-test performance.
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In the May crash test, the two-airbag Starlet scored zero stars for adult occupant protection. Global NCAP had highlighted the lack of side head protection airbags as one of the safety limitations of the tested car. The updated model now comes with six airbags as standard, including side curtain airbags. The latest Global NCAP test has therefore resulted in a four-star adult occupant protection rating for the upgraded Starlet.
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