The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro received a poor safety rating after being crash tested by Global NCAP in its ‘Safer Cars for Africa’ campaign.
Out of five, the Chinese SUV earned two stars for adult occupant safety and three stars for child protection.
The derivative tested did not offer standard side-head airbag protection for the front and rear seats, and was also found to have an unstable footwell area and bodyshell.
Last year, Chery trumpeted a separate five-star Euro NCAP for the range-topping CSH version of the model. But Global NCAP criticised the brand for not highlighting the safety deficiencies of the lower models in the range.
“South African consumers need independent and accurate information to inform their purchasing decisions,” said Richard Woods, CEO of Global NCAP, demanding transparency and not “marketing smoke and mirrors”.
The Automobile Association of SA (AASA); a partner in the ‘Safer Cars for Africa’ initiative, took a stern view. CEO Bobby Ramagwede blasted Chery for a separate live crash demonstration that took place at a local media event in 2025, describing it as “an unsafe exercise and misleading based on the principles of the NCAP studies”.
He said there was increasing demand from the public for Chinese vehicle crash tests applicable to the SA market.
Global NCAP previously tested the Toyota Corolla Cross and Hyundai Grand i10, which received two- and zero-star ratings respectively for adult occupant safety.
“We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, South African motorists deserve better, irrespective of source or price point of a vehicle, with this two-star rating reinforcing the urgent need for all manufacturers to commit to equal safety for all markets,” Ramagwede said.
One of the first vehicles tested by the programme after inception in 2017 was the Chery QQ3 hatchback, which was not fitted with airbags, anti-lock brakes, or ISOFIX child seat points. It scored zero stars for both adult and child occupant safety.
Commenting on the Tiggo 7 Pro’s results, Chery SA said it was committed to meeting global regulatory safety requirements. “The Tiggo 7 Pro in SA meets the standards as enforced by local regulatory bodies,” the company responded.
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