Audi Q7 vs. Fiat 500: Audi Q7 has only 4 stars in EuroNcap test, but Fiat 500 5 stars. But the reality crash result tells a complete different story.

Thus in reality a big EuroNcap 3 stars car can beat a 5 star small car with no doubt existing.

German auto club and prominent European crash tester ADAC has pitted a large SUV against a minicar with harrowing results. The test consisted of an overlapping frontal crash test at 56km/h between an Audi Q7 and a Fiat 500. The result was worrying, for the passengers in the Fiat 500 at least, confirming the old adage that size does matter.

In particular, the testers noted that the driver of the Fiat 500 was very vulnerable as the driver’s airbag can force the driver’s head towards the A-pillar, which causes the upper body to come into contact with the steering wheel. ADAC also noted that the airbag burst shortly after deploying, and that the sheer force of the crash would have caused serious, life threatening injuries to the driver – especially in the neck, leg and pelvic areas.

In contrast, the Q7 fared much better than the Fiat 500. The injury risks for every passenger in the Q7 was low – while not even passengers in the back seats would have been spared from injury in the 500, despite it being a frontal crash.

ADAC concluded that the Fiat’s poor performance was due to the great mass of the Q7 and its front-flat structure which is not conducive to spreading the impact of crash energy. The results clearly demonstrate why consumers shouldn’t compare safety ratings between different classes. The Fiat 500, for example, garnered a five-star safety rating in its class from EuroNCAP, while the Q7 only managed to gain four stars.

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