► Five cars got three Euro NCAP stars in 2024
► Models from Dacia, Ford, Jeep and Suzuki
► By modern standards is that a bad result?
Euro NCAP is never knowingly not outspoken when it comes to car safety. So it probably says something that when announcing the safest cars of 2024, no specific mention of was made of the worst performing cars of the year.
However, on the basis that this is still useful to know, we’ve taken a look at the list of 44 vehicles crash-tested by the European safety body in 2024 to find out which ones ranked at the bottom. You’ll find the lowest-scoring five listed below.
That said, it is important to note that they all still achieve a three-star Euro NCAP rating. Which, given the rigorous nature of the 2024 procedure, should mean that none of them are utter basket cases. In fact, one of them gets an immediate upgrade to four stars with the addition of an optional safety pack. Read on.
The five lowest scoring cars tested by Euro NCAP in 2024
In reverse order from safest to least safe.
Ford Tourneo Custom – three stars
Ford’s big van-based MPV actually performs pretty well for child protection
Euro NCAP doesn’t crash-test vans, as a rule, but the Tourneo Custom people carrier is based on the Transit Custom so this result also offers some guidance for the UK’s most popular light commercial vehicle. Although it only scores three stars, Euro NCAP reports that the body structure is strong and stable.
Here are the individual safety segment percentages for the Ford Tourneo Custom:
- Adult Occupant: 75 per cent
- Child Occupant: 86 per cent
- Vulnerable Road Users: 77 per cent
- Safety Assist: 53 per cent
You can see from this that the Tourneo Custom should look after the kids rather well. What’s more, if you opt for the Driver Assistance Pack with Navigation, Euro NCAP says it’s a four-star car, improving the Vulnerable Road User score to 83 per cent and Safety Assist to 62 per cent.
Read the Ford Tourneo Custom review on Parkers, our sister site
Ford Tourneo Courier – three stars
Ford’s smaller van-based MPV isn’t quite as safe as its big brother
Another Ford van-based people carrier with a three-star Euro NCAP score. Sadly, this one isn’t rated as highly for child safety, either, which is unfortunate given it seems a more of a regular family-sized choice. The adult test dummies also fared significantly worse, with a ‘poor’ head protection rating in the back.
These are the individual safety scores for the Ford Tourneo Courier:
- Adult Occupant: 62 per cent
- Child Occupant: 80 per cent
- Vulnerable Road Users: 81 per cent
- Safety Assist: 54 per cent
While the Vulnerable Road Users score is definitely a highlight, the Euro NCAP report says ‘Analysis of the deceleration of the impact trolley during the test, and analysis of the deformable barrier after the test, revealed that the Ford Tourneo Courier would be a somewhat aggressive impact partner in a frontal collision’. So try and avoid being hit by one. We rather like its practicality and the way it drives, though.
Read our full Ford Tourneo Courier review
Jeep Avenger – three stars
Parent company Stellantis should do better than this, surely?
The Jeep Avenger is a regular compact SUV from one of the world’s most recognisable car brands, so it does seem a little disappointing to see it among the three worst Euro NCAP crash-test performers of 2024.
These are the individual safety scores for the Jeep Avenger:
- Adult Occupant: 79 per cent
- Child Occupant: 70 per cent
- Vulnerable Road Users: 59 per cent
- Safety Assist: 53 per cent
Issues highlighted include the lack of systems to stop adult occupants colliding with each other in a crash and prevent secondary road collisions. There are some ‘poor’ ratings for child protection and pedestrian impact, while pedestrians and cyclists weren’t well looked after by the active safety systems. The Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) was also rated marginal or poor. Ouch.
Read our full Jeep Avenger review
Dacia Duster – three stars
That Dacia doesn’t care about Euro NCAP scores isn’t news
Dacia and Euro NCAP don’t particularly get along. Dacia believes in keeping costs to a minimum, and to do that it doesn’t invest in the latest safest tech in the same way as other firms. Euro NCAP, meanwhile, has previously applied low ratings to more than one Dacia model without testing them individually. So basically it’s no surprise the Duster only gets three stars.
The individual safety ratings for the Dacia Duster are:
- Adult Occupant: 70 per cent
- Child Occupant: 84 per cent
- Vulnerable Road Users: 60 per cent
- Safety Assist: 57 per cent
Given Dacia’s attitude to active safety in particular, it’s bad news for the Avenger that it outperforms that model in that area. Also note that it scores well for child protection, which will be a relief for family buyers. A 70 per cent score for adult occupants isn’t great for a mainstream SUV. We generally like the firm’s no-nonsense approach, but it does come with compromises.
Read our full Dacia Duster review
Suzuki Swift – three stars
According to Euro NCAP, this is the least safe car it tested in 2024
Let’s reiterate: given the stringent nature of modern Euro NCAP testing, a three-star score is hardly a bad result, especially for such a small, intentionally lightly built car. But there’s also no getting away from the fact that if you sort the 2024 test scores in order of rating, the Suzuki Swift has the lowest of the lot.
Here are the Suzuki Swift’s individual safety scores:
- Adult Occupant: 67 per cent
- Child Occupant: 65 per cent
- Vulnerable Road Users: 76 per cent
- Safety Assist: 62 per cent
It’s not the greatest looking set of stats, is it – especially the occupant scores. Judging by the Euro NCAP report, your legs are in for a hard time if you’re an adult, and there are far too many poor and marginal ratings in the child protection section for our liking. In addition, the eCall system doesn’t meet the test body’s standards. Hmm.
Read our full Suzuki Swift review
Surely there are cars with fewer than three Euro NCAP stars?
There certainly are. But none of the cars tested in 2024 achieved a lower rating than three and Euro NCAP does not like to compare cars tested in different years directly, due to the evolutionary nature of its testing standards.
A really good example of the reasoning behind this is the Renault Zoe. When this small electric car pioneer was first tested in 2013 it was given top marks with a five-star rating. But when it was retested in 2021, despite being fundamentally the same car it received a zero-star rating. The lowest of any vehicle tested so far this decade. Admittedly, Renault didn’t help itself by apparently reducing the effectiveness of the side airbags, but still.
Given the tough nature of current test, that the lowest score in 2024 was three stars seems a solid result for Euro NCAP and other road safety campaigners. But you might also consider that no car tested in 2023 or 2022 scored less than four stars.
2021 was a different matter. As well as the zero-star Zoe, Dacia got something of a drubbing. The Spring and the Jogger both got one-star ratings this year (the Spring, now available in the UK, was one of the worst cars we tested in 2024 as well), while the Logan and the Sandero Stepway were given two Euro NCAP stars. Everything else tested in 2021 got four stars or above.