Haval Jolion and Kia Sonet Fall Short on Safety
Two of South Africa's best-selling cars have fallen short on crash safety. The latest Global NCAP #SaferCarsForAfrica results published today, show that the Kia Sonet achieved just one star for adult occupant protection and the GWM Haval Jolion two stars.
Both models received three stars for child occupant protection.
The Kia Sonet comes standard with driver and passenger frontal airbags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC), while the Jolion also includes driver and passenger side body airbags. Neither model is fitted with side head protection airbags as standard.
The crash test report for the GWM Haval Jolion noted:
The frontal impact showed good protection to the head, neck and chest. Knee protection was marginal.
Side movable barrier test showed good protection.
The side pole test was not conducted because side head protection airbags are not fitted as standard.
ESC is fitted as standard and meets Global NCAP requirements.
Child Occupant Protection: both child dummies received full protection in the dynamic test, but the lack of proper marking and no passenger airbag disabling switch resulted in a 3 star rating.
The crash test report for the Kia Sonet noted:
The footwell area and bodyshell were unstable and not capable of withstanding further loadings.
In the side impact test, poor chest protection limited the adult protection rating to one star, while abdomen protection was rated as adequate.
The side pole test was not conducted because side head protection airbags are not fitted as standard.
Child Occupant Protection: both child dummies received full protection in the dynamic test, but the absence of 3-point belts in all seating positions, no passenger airbag disabling switch and a low CRS installation score resulted in a 3 star rating.
Richard Woods, Chief Executive Officer of Global NCAP, said:
"It is unacceptable that global manufacturers continue to sell cars in Africa with safety standards they would never offer in markets like Europe. The Kia Sonet's one star result and the GWM Haval Jolion's two star result show how far the industry still has to go. Side head protection airbags should be standard on every new car, in every market. African motorists deserve the same life-saving protection as drivers in the rest of the world.”
Bobby Ramagwede, Chief Executive Officer of the Automobile Association of South Africa, said:
“South African motorists should exercise extreme caution when purchasing a new or used entry-level vehicle, as the recent series of crash tests has shown a worrying trend with entry-level models on sale in South Africa lacking adequate crash safety and, perhaps more worryingly, very few of the vehicles tested offering safety ratings similar to those of the same models on sale abroad.”
“The tests also show the significant difference that basic safety features such as side-impact airbags and electronic stability control can make. These features offer a major safety boost to any vehicle and, in most cases, can be added with only a marginal increase in vehicle price.”
GWM Haval Jolion
Read the full crash test report
Watch the crash test video
Download the crash test images
Kia Sonet
Read the full crash test report
Watch the crash test video
Download the crash test images
Note to editors
Global NCAP is a UK registered charity working internationally to democratise vehicle safety in support of the UN Global Goals.
Between 2014 and 2026 Global NCAP has completed more than 100 safety assessments. These have acted as an important catalyst in the safety improvement of Indian and African cars.
Global NCAP has launched a newsletter, IMPACT, to share information about developments across the global road safety community. Subscribe here: https://www.globalncap.org/impact.
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