Nissan NP300 ‘Hardbody’ Receives Zero Stars from Global NCAP, Should We Be Worried?

The Global New Car Assessment Program (Global NCAP), together with the Automobile Association (AA) South Africa, recently released the results of the second round of its #SaferCarsForAfrica crash test results and it’s worth noting that the Nissan NP300 ‘Hardbody’ scored the lowest rating–which is an alarming zero-star rating—“which result in a high probability of life threatening injury in a crash.”

According to the Global NCAP, the NP300 ‘Hardbody’ received a zero-star rating “for its poor adult occupant protection mainly in the driver head and chest areas in the frontal crash test at 64 kph” as the cabin itself collapsed upon impact. In contrast, the steering wheel column didn’t collapse and instead went deeper into the cabin itself and moved straight into the driver’s chest which would result in further injuries.

“This performance showed a significant risk of injuries for the driver despite the car being equipped with double frontal airbags,” the organization said in its statement. “The high probability of life-threatening injuries to the driver’s head and chest resulted in the zero star adult occupant protection rating.”

“The zero star Nissan NP300 is shockingly bad,” added Global NCAP Secretary General David Ward. “It is astonishing that a global company like Nissan can produce a car today as poorly engineered as this. The NP300 ‘Hardbody’ is ridiculously misnamed as its body shell has collapsed. Nissan also claim the car benefits from a so-called ‘safety shield’ but this is grossly misleading. Our test shows that the occupant compartment completely fails to absorb the energy of the crash resulting in a high risk of fatality or serious injury.”

With such a dismal test result, should we be worried about the Nissan Navara then?

No, would be the answer. That’s because while the Navara and the Global NCAP-tested ‘Hardbody’ both share the same ‘NP300’ nomenclature, both are very different vehicles from one another.

The tested NP300 ‘Hardbody’ is actually a first-generation pickup known internally within Nissan as the D22 model that was first produced for the South African market in 1997 and is still in production in the region today. Locally, you would have known it in the Philippine market as the Nissan Frontier.

As for the ‘D23’ Nissan Navara which we have, the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) has tested it in 2016 and given it a four-star rating in adult occupant protection and a two-star rating in child occupant protection. Oddly enough, while ASEAN NCAP has a video of the Navara’s crash tests, which you can find at the bottom, the summary of the report itself is missing from its website.

The European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) also tested the Navara in 2015 and given it a four-star rating as well, earning a 79-percent score for adult occupants, a 78-percent score for child occupants and pedestrian safety, and a 68-percent score for its safety assist technologies if fitted with electronic stability control, seatbelt reminder for the front and rear seats, a driver-set speed limiter, and autonomous emergency braking system as standard.

Locally though, the two Navara models below PHP1 million are only equipped with driver and front passenger airbags and three-point seat belts for front and rear seat occupants as safety equipment and lacks anti-lock braking and electronic stability control systems so you’re better off buying the higher-spec’d models over PHP1 million if safety is a concern.

You can watch the African-model Nissan NP300 ‘Hardbody’ crash spectacularly in the video below as well as the aftermath as summarized by Global NCAP’s David Ward and, as previously mentioned, the ASEAN NCAP test of the Nissan Navara.