The Nissan Qashqai and VW ID.5 have achieved ‘very good’ ratings by Euro NCAP for their assisted driving systems, showing how the technology is breaking into the mainstream.

The results were part of the latest Euro NCAP gradings on Level 2 Assisted Driving tech, which are run separately to its regular overall ratings and assess performance across three key areas: the technical competence of the system and level of assistance it can safely offer, the feedback given to the driver to ensure they remain engaged, and how the car’s safety back-up mechanisms function in the event of an emergency.

The tests saw the Jaguar I-Pace system graded as ‘Entry’ level, the updated Polestar 2 system as ‘Good’, and the VW ID.5 and Nissan Qashqai came out top with their ‘Very Good’ ratings.

The new Qashqai particularly stood out, scoring 74% for assistance competence and 93% for safety back-up. Euro NCAP also found its ProPilot system provided a good and balanced level of driver engagement and driving assistance, while the Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system gave an excellent level of emergency support, avoiding most collisions with both moving and stationary vehicles.

VW’s ID.5, which shares a common platform with the ID.3 and ID.4, was also rated ‘very good’, scoring 76% for assistance competence and 85% for safety back-up. As with the Qashqai, it provides a high level of assistance to the driver, supporting many driving tasks on the highway but never promotes over-trust which might lead to driver distraction.

Meanwhile, the Polestar 2’s Pilot Assist was judged to be another well-balanced system and received a ‘good’ rating. This was in part due to improvements made via an over-the-air update since the vehicle was rated in 2021, improving its steering support and upgrading its rating from ‘moderate’. Assessments also revealed that the Polestar 2 successfully balances driver steering input with lane guidance to promote co-operative driving and mitigate against driver over-reliance. However, the system is limited in other areas such as not being able to adapt speed for road features and its AEB system not responding as effectively to stationary cars.

In comparison, the Jaguar I-Pace achieved an ‘entry’ level award. Although the driver engagement score was very good, meaning the system and brand marketing does not encourage over-reliance, it delivers a balanced Assisted Driving experience but lacks more advanced features.

Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP, said its Assisted Driving were starting to show real improvements in system performance.

“Most manufacturers realise that it is important that drivers enjoy the benefits of assisted driving without believing that they can hand over control completely to the car, and that’s one of the aspects that our assessment considers. Congratulations to Nissan – the Qashqai is the most affordable car in this group but, with the ID.5, shares the highest rating we have seen so far. It shows that the technology is moving fast and that assisted driving will become part of the mainstream very soon.”

Euro NCAP member Thatcham said the results were highly positive, including the updates made by Polestar via OTA updates.

Matthew Avery, chief research strategy officer, added: “We would strongly encourage drivers to use this technology, it is more than just a feature count, it protects drivers and other road users alike with numerous safety benefits, with the best systems automatically adapting to speed limits and traffic, keeping drivers in lane, and protecting your blind spots.”