New crash safety ratings are out from Euro NCAP, showing top results for the Kia EV6, Mercedes C-Class, Volvo C40 Recharge and Volkswagen Multivan, while the new Astra and Peugeot 308 scored four stars.  

The fully electric Kia EV6 fared particularly highly in the Adult Occupant Protection category, with a strong 90% result

The fully electric Kia EV6, which took the Best EV Compact Executive Car accolade at the 2022 Great British Fleet Awards, fared particularly highly in the Adult Occupant Protection category, with a strong 90% result. It scored maximum points in the side barrier and pole impact assessments, which look at the protection offered to occupants during impacts to the side of the vehicle, where there is very little space to absorb energy.  

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class meanwhile received a 93% score in Adult Occupant Protection, contributing towards a five-star rating overall. The brand’s Car-to-X Communication, part of the optional Mercedes-me service, also scored a Euro NCAP Advanced reward. The system utilises data from other vehicles to provide an early warning, via a cloud-based service, of potential hazards in a car’s vicinity before they could otherwise be detected.   

The electric Volvo C40 Recharge and the Volkswagen Multivan were also five-star winners and both achieved the highest Child Occupant Protection score (89%) seen so far in 2022. The two cars also come with a centre-console airbag, which limits the excursion of the far side occupant, helping to mitigate against occupant-to-occupant collision and head injuries in the event of a side impact.  

Matthew Avery, Euro NCAP board member and chief strategic research officer for Thatcham Research, said: “These latest results show that the vast majority of carmakers are working in partnership with Euro NCAP and continuing to increase safety for the benefit of the drivers and other road users, resulting in four and five-star cars across a spectrum of price points, sizes and styles.”  

The Opel/Vauxhall Astra and Peugeot 308 and were rated four stars, including for their PHEV variants.   

“These are still very strong scores, especially when you consider that Euro NCAP raises the bar for safety performance as technology evolves,” added Avery.  

Both cars are based on the Stellantis EMP2 platform and, unsurprisingly, scored very similarly across all four areas of assessment. Euro NCAP noted that both cars offer plenty of crash avoidance technology but do not include some of the latest advancements introduced in the market.   

Euro NCAP also noted that the Astra and 308’s adult occupant ratings of 80% and 76% respectively compared to scores of 90% or more for the five-star winners, dispelling the idea that the difference between five stars and four stars is always due to ADAS features.   

Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP, said: “On the whole, we see good scores for crash protection which is, of course, reassuring. But crash avoidance is as important as crash protection and the benefits of simply not being in a collision are, of course, immeasurably greater. So, we will keep the emphasis on all areas of safety in the coming years and some manufacturers will have to continue to up their game in this area if they are not going to be left behind by the competition.”