Euro NCAP is an organisation that rates the safety of new vehicles in Europe. Formed in 1997, the European New Car Assessment Programme was created to try and standardise safety for drivers. It’s been successful enough that it inspired the creation of NCAP around the world.
The programme has also developed other branches of testing, such as child protection testing and more recently introduced assessments on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) technology to evolve the programme, in line with technological developments.
How does Euro NCAP testing work?
The original idea was to assess how cars fared in the event of a collision, so tests were carried out on video using crash dummies and a car given a star rating between one and five for both adult occupant protection and pedestrian protection.
You can see an example early crash test below:
It wasn’t until 2001 for a car to score full marks, at which point, the Renault Laguna got a perfect five for adult occupant protection.
Fast-forward to 2003 and a new child protection rating was introduced. By 2007 ESC came under the spotlight, followed a year later by whiplash protection.
A milestone was reached in 2009 when the assessment was overhauled and a new rating system was implemented. It now comprises an overall rating out of five but including scores for adult occupant, child protection, pedestrian protection and advanced driver assistance systems such as stability control.
More advanced technology, such as automatic SOS calling features and collision mitigation systems like Mercedes-Benz’s Pre-safe, was introduced to the rating system in 2010.
2014 saw the introduction of autonomous emergency braking (AEB), with lane-keeping assistance and lane-departure warning tech also being included.
Cars with optional safety packs can now qualify for a second score judging them on these features.
Do I need to pay attention to Euro NCAP scores?
You do. It’s a direct reflection of how your car will fare in a crash test, and the more recent ratings also include a lot of newer tech.
It’s not the be-all and end-all, though. There are new systems being released all the time that aren’t included in the test but can affect the safety of your car.
Features such as night vision (available on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series) or Matrix LED headlights such as found on higher-spec Audi models like the R8 aren’t included, but do improve a car’s safety.
Thatcham Research is a UK-based testing centre that has Euro NCAP accreditation. The assessors have some of the fanciest crash test dummies with the highest price tags to understand exactly how occupants will be affected by collisions.
Thatcham also assesses collisions on how vehicles are constructed, how repairs will be carried out and what repairs costs will be involved, which helps car makers create cars in an economical way for consumers and insurers alike.
We show all published Euro NCAP scores in the Features section of our full car reviews.
Looking for more jargon-busting motoring meanings? Head over to our Parkers Car Glossary page and take a look at our other definitions.
