The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro has received a two-star adult occupant protection rating out of five in the latest Global NCAP #SaferCarsforAfrica crash test for vehicles sold in South Africa, with Global NCAP and safety partners strongly criticising Chery for using safety results from other markets in media statements.
Image source: AA
The UK-based road safety charity said the two-star score reflects serious safety shortcomings in the Tiggo 7 Pro model tested under African market conditions, including significant structural issues and the absence of key protective features. Child occupant protection was marginally better at three stars, but still highlighted safety limitations.
According to Global NCAP’s official statement, the crash test revealed that the footwell area and bodyshell were unstable and unable to withstand further loadings. The test programme also did not conduct a side-pole impact evaluation because the vehicle lacks standard side head protection for both front and rear occupants, a critical safety feature that mitigates severe head injury risk in side impacts.
Standard safety equipment like electronic stability control (ESC) and seat belt reminders (SBRs) were present, but did not meet Global NCAP’s full criteria, underscoring broader concerns about the level of protection offered by the vehicle in its current specification.
Global NCAP’s chief executive, Richard Woods, said the two-star result was “very disappointing” and compounded by “misleading information on crash test results from other markets”. He emphasised that NCAP assessments are market-specific and should not be selectively used to imply stronger safety performance than actually delivered in African-market models.
The campaign partners also criticised recent safety demonstrations by Chery South Africa, saying they did not align with the rigorous, independent testing protocols used by Global NCAP. The organisation said these practices could give South African consumers a false impression of the vehicle’s safety performance.
The #SaferCarsforAfrica initiative aims to provide clear, independent crash test results tailored to vehicles sold on the continent and to push for improved safety standards in markets where protective equipment is often less comprehensive than in Europe or other regions.
The Tiggo 7 Pro was tested under conditions and specifications representative of models currently sold locally. Global NCAP reiterated that results from testing in other regions, including higher-rated variants, do not reflect the safety performance of the consumer-available vehicles and should not be used as a proxy for Africa-specific ratings.
