The irony is that in 2002, a previous generation of the Mégane was the first small car to achieve a 5-star rating in the Euro NCAP in that it followed its stable mates Laguna - the very first car to achieve five stars - and the Vel Satis executive car. The Euro NCAP test regime became much more stringent a few years ago.
The model tested was the 1.5dCi 'Life' LHD version. The tests included crash test performance for Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Pedestrian, and Safety assist.
On Safety Assist, Euro NCAP said: "Electronic stability control is standard equipment. A seatbelt reminder system is standard for the front and rear seats. The system for the front seats met Euro NCAP's requirements. However, the system for the rear seats uses text to inform the driver of the status of the rear seatbelts and, as this information was not available in all languages, the system failed Euro NCAP's assessment. Renault intend to address this issue very soon. With a compliant system, the Mégane Hatch would have been rated as four stars overall. A driver-set speed limitation device is also standard equipment and met Euro NCAP's requirements for systems of this type."
