Mitsubishi EV passes safety tests

Earns 4 stars from Euro NCAP

Mitsubishi i-Miev – which is also sold as Citroën C-Zero and Peugeot iOn – was the first plug-in electric car to be crash tested by Euro NCAP. It obtained 4 out of 5 possible stars. This is to be considered a rather good rating, but some of the cars in the same group were able to obtain all 5 stars.

The EV had a small disadvantage in running against rivals of much greater size. Euro NCAP defines categories by weight instead of size. The extra weight of its batteries put Mitsubishi i-Miev (length 345 cm) in the „super mini“ class against cars like Nissan Juke (413 cm) which were able to get more weight into their structure.

Five stars are within reach for fully electric cars, says Dr. Michiel van Ratingen from Euro NCAP: „We recognize the efforts done by Mitsubishi to demonstrate that plug-in battery powered cars can be as safe as others. It shows that a future 5 star accolade for EVs is not unthinkable. Whether produced by established car manufacturers or by new players on the market, consumers should expect to get electric vehicles that meet the same safety standards as conventional vehicles.“

The EV was tested the same way as the other cars but with special attention to post-crash battery integrity and the isolation of the high-voltage battery in the event of a crash. No electrical or fire hazards were detected during the testing of the i-Miev.