While modern in-car safety may feel a bit overbearing for some people, there’s no denying that drivers and passengers are far safer today than they were even just a few years ago. Euro NCAP is partly to thank when it comes to car safety, and its thorough crash testing can literally make or break a car’s reputation.
Since 1997, Euro NCAP has been independently rating the crash protection offered by most of the cars on sale, and its tests have resulted in improved standards across the board – saving thousands of lives on UK roads alone, and many more across Europe.
But as technology has moved on, so have the NCAP test requirements. In recent years, there’s been greater emphasis on complicated (and often expensive) electronic assistance, mitigation and prevention technology, all required to get the full five-star rating, leading some to suggest things have gone too far.
So what is Euro NCAP and how does the testing process work? We explain everything you need to know below.
From the very beginning, the core of Euro NCAP’s safety testing has been the crash test. It’s here where a test car is unceremoniously ploughed into an obstacle at 40mph in order to simulate how well the car would hold up in a real-life collision. A side impact test is also carried out where a deformable barrier is hurtled towards the driver’s door at 30mph.
These tests are designed to show exactly how a car holds up to catastrophic crash damage, and how well it protects the occupants. Sophisticated test dummies are placed inside the car during testing to see how badly any human occupants would be injured, or if the collision would potentially prove fatal.
As well as testing the structural integrity of a car, NCAP also uses this opportunity to test the effectiveness of its on-board systems.
Pedestrian and cyclist safety is taken into consideration, too. In these tests, a car is driven into a dummy and the damage to areas like the head, pelvis and legs are evaluated.
The latest testing criteria was introduced in 2023, and this demands sensors which will call the police if drivers have mistakenly left their kids in the car. There’s also a requirement that the windows and doors can still be opened if the car is submerged in water. The latest upgrades also include more rigorous testing to new Active Safety scenarios, measuring system responses to the most challenging car-to-motorcycle, car-to-car crossing and car-to-car head-on collision dangers.
The tests are set to evolve again with sensors needed to detect fires and assess the driver’s vital signs, automatically alerting emergency services if they sense a problem.
The next stage will need in-car cameras to monitor the driver’s face for tiredness or distraction, while Autonomous Emergency Braking systems will need to detect motorcycles.
Euro NCAP’s ever-evolving testing criteria has met with some resistance. For example, Luke Broad, Dacia UK’s Brand Director, told Auto Express: “We know that our cars are safe. They meet or exceed all of the necessary requirements and will continue to develop as technology improves, with features you would not expect to see at the price level. But adding safety technology adds cost, and there is a balance to be made. It’s up to the customer to decide if they want to pay extra for these features.”
The current Euro NCAP safety regime includes a dual rating, with some cars tested both with and without various high-tech safety features. This means some cars may get five stars if they are configured with autonomous emergency braking, for example, but drop to four stars for the second rating if this feature is not standard.
To get a second optional star rating on a car, manufacturers just have to confirm that they expect the extra safety technology (defined as a ‘safety pack’) to be fitted on at least 25 per cent of models sold.
In 2023, Euro NCAP introduced extra safety tests that require child presence detection, specifications for vehicle submergence and more technologies for detecting motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users to achieve a full-five-star safety score. Prior to this in May 2020, Euro NCAP added a new moving, deformable barrier test to assess whether larger, heavier cars such as big EVs put occupants of smaller vehicles at significant risk – an idea known as ‘compatibility’.
At the same time as the compatibility test was rolled out, more advanced assessments of autonomous emergency braking systems were introduced, while a new £600,000 crash-test dummy called THOR (Test device for Human Occupant Restraint) is now being used in Euro NCAP tests for the first time in order to better represent how human bodies behave in collisions – an idea known as 'biofidelity'.
With manufacturers employing more active safety tech in their cars, Euro NCAP has also introduced a new set of safety tests that assess how well systems such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keep guidance work, while the body also assesses systems that come into effect after a crash, from automated calling of emergency services, to manufacturers providing documents to assist with first responders.
Just as cars are evolving the Euro NCAP crash tests are regularly updated to keep pace and give the most useful results to consumers. This can create some problems when comparing cars tested under different Euro NCAP regimes.
Euro NCAP crash test scores remain valid for six years from the year the car was rated. After that, the organisation says the testing system will have moved on to such an extent that “its assessment is largely irrelevant in comparison with cars tested more recently.”
However during the six year period a rating remains valid, the test body says it does perform reviews to ensure their continued validity. Manufacturers must confirm each year that the same level of safety tech is fitted, and also submit details of any model facelift changes that might affect their ratings.
As results are currently configured, you can look at the overall star rating for a swift comparison between models, but also make a more detailed comparison of percentage scores in each of the four main test categories. The Euro NCAP website also provides detailed breakdowns of how those category results were determined and videos of the crash tests themselves.
Q. How does Euro NCAP decide what new criteria should be involved in the tests?
A. We look at the accident data and evaluate current vehicle performance. In addition, Euro NCAP consults all interested manufacturers and suppliers to see what is technologically feasible.
Q. Why was it decided to insist on Child Detection Systems and the underwater door functionality? Are these significant problems globally?
A. Decisions are made on the technology available and accident data. In these specific cases, the number of incidents is not many, but they can be avoided with existing technology.
Q. Consumers seem to dislike features such as lane keep assist and speed limit warnings. Have you had any push back against these?
A. We do acknowledge that, unfortunately, consumers can be annoyed by the warnings and intervention of some systems. Therefore, Euro NCAP will focus on the performance and consumer acceptance for the next rating updates in 2026.
Q. Is NCAP’s expectation that all car makers will still strive to achieve 5-stars, or do you expect manufacturers and consumers will accept lower ratings?
A. The new 2026 ratings will ensure it’s not only the high-end car makers achieving 5 stars. Some OEMs (car makers), like Dacia, might go for lower ratings to make more profits. We were extremely disappointed that Renault decided to de-spec basic safety equipment like the curtain airbag to increase profitability. OEMs that are not striving for 5 stars will still need to go beyond the regulatory requirements to stay away from 0 stars. Then, ultimately, it’s the consumer that decides what to buy.
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Shane is responsible for looking after the day-to-day running of the Auto Express website and social media channels. Prior to joining Auto Express in 2021, he worked as a radio producer and presenter for outlets such as the BBC.
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