The European road safety organisation, EuroNCAP has given the new Kia Rio the maximim of five stars for Accident Safety.
The high scores were achieved for Adult and Child Occupant Protection and Safety Assist Equipment and ESC fitted as standard in all European countries
The B-segment hatchback achieved high scores for Adult Occupant Protection (92 percent), Child Occupant Protection (84 percent) and Safety Assist Equipment (86 percent), and Kia also received praise from the testers for fitment of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard in all European markets.
“Kia was the first Korean manufacturer to achieve EuroNCAP’s top score with cee’d in 2007*, and this latest result is further proof of Kia’s ongoing commitment to vehicle safety,” comments Benny Oeyen, Vice President Marketing and Product Planning, Kia Motors Europe.
“From the very start of Rio’s development, Kia’s engineers were dedicated to creating a car that would offer owners a fun driving experience, as well as the reassurance that they and their families would be protected by the very best safety technology in the event of an accident.
“Rio has already generated a great deal of interest with consumers thanks to its high standard of specification, low running costs and, with CO2 emissions from just 85 g/km**, industry-leading environmental credentials. We expect that this endorsement of the car’s safety will further bolster its appeal to European buyers,” Oeyen concludes.
Across Europe, standard safety equipment fitted on Rio includes six airbags (front, side and curtain), ESC, VSM (vehicle stability management), HAC (hill-start assist control) to prevent roll-back when moving off on gradients, and three-point seatbelts for five occupants.
Rio joins Kia stablemates Venga, Soul, cee’d, Sportage and Sorento in scoring five stars in EuroNCAP crash test results.
Editors’ Notes
* The Kia cee’d earned a 5-Star rating under the previous EuroNCAP testing regime in 2007 – the first Korean brand vehicle to achieve this top safety rating. Starting in January 2009, EuroNCAP revised its testing strategy to encompass four main zones of interest – Adult Occupant Protection, Child Protection, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist – which contribute 50%, 20%, 20% and 10% to a single overall rating, expressed as a star rating. Ratings achieved under the old regime are not comparable with those achieved under the new scheme.
** CO2 emissions and specifications based on European model and may differ depending on region.