Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Program) is a voluntary & non-profit car safety performance assessment program backed by several European governments, as well as by the European Union.
It is considered the most stringent of all safety assessment programs in the world requiring the highest level of safety & quality standards in automobiles. Each year several new cars are tested by Euro NCAP, and a star rating is given to the tested vehicles based on their performance, with 5 stars being the highest.
Euro NCAP Best in Class
With enough cars tested every year, Euro NCAP publishes a list of those cars that have performed best in their respective categories. Star ratings cannot be compared directly between different categories of vehicles, so a ‘Best in Class’ is published showing which vehicles have performed better than their competitors. As the requirements for each star rating become tougher each year, the ‘Best in Class’ comparison is made only within each calendar year so that all vehicles are assessed against the same standards.
To define the Best in Class, a calculation is made of the weighted sum of the scores in each of the 4 areas of assessment: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Pedestrian, and Safety Assist. This sum is used as the basis for comparison of the vehicles. Cars qualify for ‘Best in Class’ based only on their rating with standard safety equipment. Additional ratings based on optional equipment are excluded.
Related: MG Mulan, Chery Omoda 5, and SAIC Maxus MIFA 9 Earn 5-Star Euro NCAP Rating
For the year 2022, Euro NCAP has awarded 6 cars with Best in Class from 6 different categories. Out of these, 3 category winners were American Tesla, 2 of them were Chinese cars (GWM) and 1 belonged to South Korean Hyundai. According to Euro NCAP, these results underline the importance of the Euro NCAP 5-star rating for establishing safety, credibility, and quality in the European market for vehicle manufacturers in Europe, but also beyond Europe’s borders.
Tesla Model S
In the Executive category, Tesla Model S was the winner with a 94% Adult Occupant, 91% Child Occupant, 85% Pedestrian Safety and 98% Safety Assist score.
Large Family Car
Hyundai Ioniq 6 was the Best in Class in the Large Family Car category winning with 97% Adult, 87% Child, 66% Pedestrian, and a 90% Safety Assist score.
Large Off-Road
WEY Coffee 01 which comes under the umbrella of Great Wall Motors (GWM) of China was named the winner of the Large Off-Road category securing 91% Adult, 87% Child, 79% Pedestrian, and a 94% Safety Assist score.
Pure Electric
The Tesla Model S was also the winner of the Pure Electric category with its 94% Adult Occupant, 91% Child Occupant, 85% Pedestrian, and 98% Safety Assist score.
Small Family Car
GWM’s ORA Funky Cat (Good Cat EV) was the winner of the Small Family Car category with 92%, 83%, 74%, and 93% scores in Adult, Child, Pedestrian, and Safety Assist areas of assessments respectively.
Small Off-Road
Lastly, in the Small Off-Road category, the Tesla Model Y was on top with a score of 97% Adult, 87% Child, 82% Pedestrian, and 98% in the Safety Assist assessment.
The interesting thing to note is that 5 of these winners are pure electric cars while one is PHEV (WEY Coffee 01). According to Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP’s Secretary General:
“2022 has been one of Euro NCAP’s busiest years yet and we have seen a lot of new car makers and new technologies. It’s clear a good Euro NCAP rating is seen by car manufacturers as critical to success in Europe. This can only mean better safety equipment and safer cars for European consumers all round.”
Commenting on the performance of Chinese cars, Euro NCAP in its Press Release said:
“2022 was notable for the number of new Chinese brands coming to Europe and achieving great results. Following some less-than-successful attempts to break into the European market in the past, several manufacturers are showing that Chinese brands can now compete on safety with well-established European brands. In the Small Family Car category, the ORA Funky Cat is exceptionally well equipped and, being at the top of its class, outperformed several familiar brands. The second Chinese brand car in our best-in-class list is the WEY Coffee 01, again highly equipped and performing well in all categories.”
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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