The light-colored Moskvich-3-5-3 prototype (built in 1970) was destroyed in crash test on May 5, 1972, when a prototype of the next series 3-5-4 already existed. The car had previously passed a full cycle of road tests and had a mileage of 83,500 km.
The purpose of this test was to evaluate the fire safety and protection of the passenger compartment in the event of a rear-end collision. The 53-litre petrol tank was filled 91% with water, after which the car was hit with a trolley weighing 1820 kg at a speed of 34.8 km/h.
The deformation of the body turned out to be acceptable, but the design of the gas tank was considered dangerous – a leak occurred.