ASEAN NCAP has posted its latest assessment results for the Neta V and they have given it an appalling zero-star rating. This is the first EV to be sold at the minimum permitted price of RM100,000 in Malaysia and it lacks advanced driver assistance and safety features that often come as standard in modern cars.
The Neta V obtained an overall score of 28.55 points, consisting of 7.89 points for Adult Occupant, 13.51 points for Child Occupant, 7.14 points for Safety Assist and 0 points for Motorcyclist safety.
The Neta V is the first vehicle from Neta to be assessed by ASEAN NCAP and they found that the budget EV performed poorly in the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) category which is contributed only by the score from the side impact test. It also highlighted that the seatbelts equipped for the two front passengers do not have any retractor pre-tensioner and load limiters.
It also added that frontal offset tests show poor protection to the frontal occupants starting with weak body structure to the front occupants and compromised restraint system, which greatly jeopardised the safety of the car occupants.
When it comes to Safety Assist Technology (SAT), the Neta V is equipped with effective braking and avoidance (EBA) and a seat belt reminder which is only available for the driver. The electric SUV was given no points for the Motorcyclist Safety category as none of the technology listed according to the ASEAN NCAP protocol were offered.
In terms of safety features, the Neta V is very basic with just two airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction Control and Electronic Stability Control.
As a comparison, the BYD Dolphin which starts from RM100,000 for the standard range model is equipped with 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, ESC, TCS and even Level 2 ADAS including automatic emergency braking system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keeping support, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot detection and emergency lane keeping assist. The BYD Dolphin received a 5-star rating from Euro NCAP last year.
The Neta V isn’t the first EV tested by ASEAN NCAP. As a comparison, the Vinfast VF8 and e34 electric SUVs received 5-star and 4-star safety ratings respectively in 2022.
You can read and download the full ASEAN NCAP report for the Neta V here.
