A software update to allow overzealous safety aids to be turned off permanently has drawn criticism from Euro NCAP – and almost cost the Deepal its top safety rating.
The Deepal S07 electric car has narrowly avoided being stripped of its five-star safety rating after a software update was rolled out to allow drivers to permanently disable an "annoying" driver distraction alert.
It has prompted criticism from crash-test organisation Euro NCAP – the overseas counterpart to Australia's ANCAP – for letting customers turn off the warning, rather than "addressing user complaints" and improving the feature.
The S07 was criticised by customers and media on debut about 12 months ago for overzealous advanced safety systems, particularly the driver attention monitor, with some labelling the vehicle "Australia's most annoying car".
Deepal rolled out a software update mid-year to "refine" the driver monitor, in the process allowing it and the lane departure alert to be permanently disabled, such that they don't switch back on automatically when the car is restarted.
The Chinese car maker claimed the updated S07 would still "meet the stringent requirements for an ANCAP five-star safety rating," despite the ability to permanently disable the driver monitor contradicting the safety organisation's rules.
ANCAP has now published an updated safety rating for the model, and while it retains a five-star score, it has done so by the skin of its teeth.
The S07 now carries a Safety Assist score of 70 per cent, the bare minimum needed to be eligible for a five-star overall result, and down from 78 per cent previously.
It is due to the update causing all 1.32 points previously awarded to the S07 for the driver monitoring system being stripped, as it is deemed to no longer provide "intervention" when fatigue or distraction is detected.
While both organisations have published a statement on the change, only Euro NCAP has been brave enough to provide its opinion – and criticise Deepal for not trying hard enough.
"Euro NCAP is disappointed that it has downgraded its driver monitoring system for the S07, assessed in 2024, by allowing drivers to permanently disable distraction alerts, rather than addressing user complaints and improving the system’s overall robustness," said the firm.
It is not clear if the Australian changes to reduce the intrusiveness of the driver monitoring system were rolled out in Europe, or if only the option to disable the feature was introduced.
For top marks, ANCAP rules require the driver monitoring system to switch on by default when the vehicle is started, and operate at speeds of 10km/h or more.
It is understood that the lane-departure warning does not have a 'default on' requirement, unlike other aspects of the lane-keep assist system.
There have been no changes to the rest of the S07's safety score, including its 95 per cent adult occupant protection, 86 per cent child occupant protection, and 74 per cent vulnerable road user protection results.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
