Euro NCAP give Fiat Punto nul points | Awards - Car News Dec 2017

11:50 Friday 15 Dec 2017

The Fiat Punto has set an unwanted record in the latest round of Euro NCAP safety tests.

It has become the first car ever to be awarded zero stars in the history of the Euro NCAP programme.

The venerable Punto has been on sale since 2005 with periodic updates, but the lack of safety features included as standard in comparison to its newer rival has seen the model embarrassingly outclassed.

Euro NCAP ratings require cars to meet minimum points targets in all four areas of the tests in order to qualify for even a single star, and while the Punto managed a two-star performance in the adult and occupant safety and pedestrian protection categories, it failed to register a mark for either driver assistance or crash avoidance. The Punto has been left behind by its contemporaries regarding a range of standard safety features , for example it includes a seatbelt warning system for the driver alone.

“The fact that older cars cannot compete illustrates the pace at which the vehicle industry is innovating safety and the willingness and ability of competitive manufacturers to meet the highest standards”, said Euro NCAP Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen, adding, “Those who do not keep their cars up to the latest standards get left behind, as these results clearly show.”

“This is perhaps the strongest example of a manufacturer continuing to sell a product that is well past its best-before date, at the expense of the unsuspecting car buyer.”