This car has a solid, stable structure that gives good all-round protection to its occupants. The side-impact performance was impressive, earning it a high score. Although the door opened in the side-impact test, this was thought unlikely to happen in a real accident because the test barrier caught and pulled the door handle as it rebounded. The belts fitted in the rear could be switched to provide better support for child restraints. But there was no label to explain their use, so they were not used in this manner in the test. Finally, protection offered for pedestrian's legs is very poor and no test earned points.
Front impact
The car has twin front airbags and pre-tensioner seat belts with load-limiting devices. Even so, the driver and front passenger were subjected to reasonably high chest loads. VW has put a great deal of effort into trying to protect the knees and legs of front occupants. Under the steering wheel, a composite steel plate with foam padding overlies some very aggressive structures, and a steel bolster protects other areas. However, it was judged that these devices still posed sufficient threat to lose the car points.
Side impact
The Beetle's side-protection airbag worked well, supporting the seat wing and the driver's chest. His ribs contacted the seat wing and the airbag. There were foam blocks in the door to transfer load onto the pelvis, but these were not crushed in the impact.
Child occupant
There was no clear warning in the car over the risk of death if a rear-facing child restraint was used in the front passenger seat. VW needs to take this risk seriously and provide permanent warnings in the car. Two different restraints were used in this test; both were recommended by VW. The 18-month-old's restraint was rear-facing and the three-year-old's used special (ISOFIX) mounting points in the car. This restraint did not work well in the tests.
Pedestrian
Protection given by the bonnet was reasonable, but upper- and lower-leg protection was wanting and scored no points.