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The Ford Puma city SUV will drop from five to four safety stars from next year after it was re-tested under new crash test standards.
In what seems to be an own goal, the Ford Puma city SUV it will lose its five-star safety rating in Australia from next year – and drop to four stars – after it is retested under new, stricter protocols in Europe.
The re-evaluation could have been done so that Ford could extend the Puma’s safety rating for another six years until the end of 2028 instead of expiring at the end of 2025.
The Puma earned a five-star safety rating when it was first tested by Euro NCAP in 2019 – but a new round of testing carried out in Europe under tougher standards in 2020-22 saw it fall short of the five-star mark. score.
In a media statement, Ford Australia confirmed that the lower four-star safety rating will apply to Australian-market Puma examples from the 2023 model year.
Although the crash test results under the old and new test standards are not directly comparable, the results show that the Puma scored lower in three of the four areas of the Euro NCAP assessment in 2022 compared to to its previous rating in 2019.
It is unclear why the Ford Puma was subjected to Euro NCAP testing for the second time – and whether it was at Ford’s request, or whether the safety body chose to retest the Puma for validation, as is the case with period.
Previously, the Ford Puma’s five-star safety rating would expire on December 31, 2025 – but the re-evaluation will mean Ford can continue to advertise the rating, now even a four- star result, till 31 December 2028 without any further safety upgrade .
The new four-star safety result comes just weeks before ANCAP and Euro NCAP introduce stricter test standards for 2023.
Ford says that “certain safety-related elements [of the Puma] are improved”, including “improved maintenance systems.”
But despite any upgrades it has received, the Puma lacks key features that were not required for five stars when it was first tested in 2019, but are now common among vehicles with a five-star rating in under today’s test criteria.
This includes a center airbag between the front seats to prevent occupants from colliding in side-impact crashes – which saw the Puma lose four points it didn’t lose when it was first tested in 2019.
“The Puma has been re-tested according to the latest Euro NCAP test protocol. With the revised requirements under the new protocol, the result for the Puma is a solid four-star rating,” a statement from Ford Australia said.
“Several safety-related elements have been improved – including improved maintenance systems – for the car to achieve this rating. Safety continues to be paramount when designing and engineering our vehicles, and Ford is committed to meeting or exceeding safety requirements across the globe.
“This rating relates to Puma sold in Australia from [the] MY23 [Model Year 2023] model.”
Further details of any updates for the 2023 Ford Puma will soon arrive in its showroom.
Read more about Alex Misoyannis
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