Euro NCAP has revealed its final safety results for 2022, with only three of the 14 cars tested not receiving the top five-star rating.
The crash and safety organisation assessed a wide variety of models including those from upcoming Chinese brands.
Highlights included the new MG4, which despite being one of the UK’s cheapest electric cars was still given five stars. The Chery Omada 5 crossover and Maxus MIFA 9 MPV – both currently not on sale in the UK but may be in the future – were also handed the top rating.
At the more premium end of the market, the Lucid Air – an American luxury saloon that rivals the Tesla Model S – was awarded top honours, as were the new Lexus RX and Mercedes GLC, along with the updated Land Rover Discovery Sport.
Volkswagen’s radical new ID.Buzz was given a five-star rating too, as were VW’s new Amarok pick-up and the Ford Ranger.
With Euro NCAP recently updating its testing to be more stringent, a number of popular new cars have been retested. The Skoda Octavia family car retained its five-star rating, but the Ford Puma crossover and Volkswagen Touran MPV dropped to four stars because of ‘challenges in adult occupant protection’. The final models to be tested was the new Peugeot 408 fastback, which also received a four-star rating.
Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP, said: “2022 has been one of Euro NCAP’s busiest-ever years and we have seen a lot of new car makers and new technologies. It’s clear that European consumers still demand the highest levels of safety and that a good Euro NCAP rating is seen by car manufacturers as critical to success here.
“Twenty-five years since it first started, Euro NCAP is still driving ever-higher levels of safety, and our protocols for 2023 will bring exciting, tough new challenges to the car industry.”