2017 Opel Vauxhall Ampera-e / Chevy Volt Crash Test – Video
The passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal offset test. Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger. Opel showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sat in different positions. In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of the driver was good for all critical body areas and for the rear passenger was good or adequate. In the side barrier impact, protection was good for all critical parts of the body and the Ampera-e scored full points. In the more severe side pole impact, protection of the chest was adequate and that of other body areas was good. Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated marginal protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear-end collision. A geometric assessment of the rear seats also indicated marginal protection. The Ampera-e has, as standard, an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system. Tests of its functionality at the low speeds at which many whiplash injuries are caused showed good performance, with collisions avoided or mitigated at all test speeds. However, the car did not qualify for the AEB points as its front seats and head restraints did not score highly enough in the dynamic whiplash tests.
In the frontal offset test, protection of the 6 and 10 year dummies was good or adequate for all critical parts of the body. In the side barrier test, protection was good. The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position. Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded. The rear outboard seats did not meet Euro NCAP’s requirements for iSize labelling, so an installation check of such restraints was not applicable. In addition, one belted universal seat failed the check for the front passenger seat. Otherwise, restraints could be properly installed and accommodated.
The protection provided to the head of a struck pedestrian was predominantly adequate over the bonnet surface, with poor results recorded on the stiff windscreen pillars. The bumper offered good protection to pedestrians’ legs and protection of the pelvis was also good. The standard-fit, pedestrian-detecting autonomous emergency braking system performed well in Euro NCAP’s tests
The Ampera-e has a seatbelt reminder for the front seats only, with no such system for the rear seats. A driver-set speed limiter is standard equipment, as is a lane keep assistance system which gently manoeuvres the car when it is drifting out of lane. The autonomous emergency braking system performed well in tests of its highway-speed functionality, with collisions avoided or mitigated in all test scenarios.