The European New Car Assessment Program gives seven new vehicles – three of them making their first appearance this year – the highest rating in its latest safety tests.
Euro NCAP says Audi’s first fully electric model, the e-tron, Volkswagen T-Roc’s smaller sibling the T-Cross and the hybrid Lexus UX – along with the new Mazda 3, Renault Clio V and the latest Toyota Corolla and RAV4 – all achieved the maximum five-star rating against the latest test requirements.
“As more and more new-energy vehicles are entering the market, four vehicles of the batch were tested as other than petrol (gasoline) or diesel variants,” Euro NCAP says in a statement.
“Audi’s new 4x4 was assessed as full electric and can be compared to Tesla’s Model 3, due (for testing) later this year, and Jaguar’s I-Pace and Nissan Leaf tested under the same rating regime in 2018. The Corolla, the RAV4 and the UX are hybrid vehicles.”
Now the Toyota Corolla again, Europe’s Auris replacement was tested as sedan and hatchback variants, in cooperation with Euro NCAP’s sister organization Australasian NCAP. Both variants shared the same full 5-star result.
The Clio V and its rival the Mazda 3 “both performed exceptionally well in adult-occupant protection and child-occupant tests, making them strong contestants in our small family car best-in-class category.”
The new VW T-Cross is a supermini-sized crossover based on the Polo tested in 2017. While the Polo already offers many safety features, the T-Cross adds lane keeping, which helps prevent inadvertent drifting out of lane and intervenes in some more-critical situations.
Euro NCAP Secretary General Michiel van Ratingen says it is encouraging to see all manufacturers did well, regardless of type of powertrain or class of vehicle tested.
“New cars on the market continue to offer more advanced technology as standard, systems that were not even considered an option a few years ago,” van Ratingen says in a statement.
“Vehicle manufacturers must respond on all levels to consumers’ expectations, but adding more safety is often challenged by market conditions. Despite this, we see the latest state-of-the-art safety technology being made standard on many of Europe’s best-selling family cars.”
