They may seem like fun runabouts, but the latest safety test by Euro NCAP raises serious concerns over the safety of Quadricycles.

Quadricycles are road-legal vehicles that are sometimes seen as alternatives to motorcycles or small city cars. They do not have to meet the stringent safety tests that apply to normal passenger cars.

Euro NCAP recently tested four heavy quadricycles in front and side impact to get a picture of the safety of this category of vehicle. In the frontal test, the full width of the vehicle is impacted at 50km/h into a honeycomb element attached to a concrete block. This represents the sort of accidents that quadricycles might be involved in when driven on public roads.

All of the quadricycles tested showed critical safety problems, although some fared better than others in the front or side impact test. The vehicles tested are type-approved and meet the minimal safety requirements set by European legislation for L7e heavy quadricycles. Euro NCAP say consumers should note that quadricycles in general offer a significantly lower levels of occupant safety than is offered by cars.

The vehicles tested were:
Renault Twizy 80 – Score 6 points out of 16.
Tazzari Zero - Score 6 points out of 16.
Club Car Villager - Score 2 points out of 16.
Ligier IXO JS - Score 2 points out of 16.