The Pluriels’s body and mechanics are similar to the Citroën C3, which gained four stars in earlier Euro NCAP tests. Like the C3, the Pluriel gave a balanced performance. Its body withstood the frontal impact well, suffering only minor deformation of its safety cell for passengers. Its restraint systems worked effectively, transmitting only low levels of impact force to occupants’ chests. Protection in the side impact proved good and the standard head-protecting airbag further reduced the risk of injury. The child restraints performed patchily, but pedestrians received above-average protection.
Front impact
The car was tested with its roof bars removed to give worst-case results. Even so, the the body protected well, suffering only minimal deformation of the screen pillar and footwell. As a result, forces affecting occupants’ chests loads low and their feet were well protected. As with any small car, it is difficult to create room to protect the driver’s knees fully. The Pluriel’s steering column presents a hazard but the area around it is clear of harmful structures.
Side impact
Protection in this part of the tests was good and the seat-mounted head and thorax airbag proved effective in the pole test. However, this type of airbag has proved more sensitive than a curtain airbag to the positioning of the driver’s head during the impact.
Child occupant
Both restraints were forward facing. A manual on/off switch for the passenger frontal airbag is fitted. Instructions for it appear on a non-permanent pictogram and text on the passenger’s end of the fascia. These gave too little warning against fitting a rear-facing restraint in the front passenger’s seat when the airbag is ‘live’. In the frontal test, the older child experienced very high chest loads while the younger suffered high chest and neck loads. But both were protected in the side impact.
Pedestrian
The bumper, the bonnet’s leading edge and some other areas were unforgiving, but other places did protect the adult and children’s heads. The car’s large windscreen helped, too. This was a reasonable performance for a small car.