The MG 3 receives a 4-star Euro NCAP rating, but has a serious safety problem
The MG 3 has received a four-star rating from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), but it didn’t pass with flying colors.
Yep, after the MG GT (MG 5) received a zero-star safety rating (later three stars) from the Australasian NCAP (ANCAP) in 2023, another vehicle from the Sino-British automaker has suffered a “critical safety failure” that has never been seen in any Euro NCAP test since it began its work in 1997.
During the frontal offset crash test, engineers found that the driver’s seat latching mechanism of the small hatchback failed. This caused the driver’s seat to twist through the impact, leading to elevated forces on the dummy’s right leg, with a poor rating received for protection in that body region.
Euro NCAP said that MG initially argued that the failure was caused by improper latching of the seat prior to testing, however, this was checked as part of standard procedures. The automaker eventually committed to improving the design of the seat latch mechanism to ensure it remains robust in the event of an impact.
Despite the issue, the MG 3 was still able to garner a four-star safety rating, with its final score based on the following categories:
- Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) – 74%
- Child Occupant Protection (COP) – 73%
- Vulnerable Road User Protection (VRUP) – 81%
- Safety Assist (SA) – 69%
With the MG GT able to garner a higher-star rating a couple years later, the MG 3 still has a chance to redeem itself once the Sino-British automaker is able to create a fix. For now, this is what we know for the small hatchback’s safety.
Photos: Euro NCAP, Julian Panlilio
