New Small Cars Euro NCAP Scores

The European New Car Assessment Program has just released its ratings for six new cars, five of which from the small car segment. The vehicles tested are Audi Q5, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20, Kia Soul, Peugeot 3008 and Suzuki Alto. All of them, except the Alto (due to the lack of electronic stability control), managed to score a five star rating.

The European body has found that two of the six vehicles tested, namely the Honda Jazz and the Hyundai i20 have not only met the pedestrian protection requirements, but also met those which will be imposed by Euro NCAP in the future. Seats from the Kia Soul achieved a good result in the program’s whiplash testing, further emphasizing that not only larger or expensive cars achieve such results.

"Many claim that the weight and size of a car is the only criteria for safety. We believe that there are other aspects of safety that are just as important. The smaller cars we tested whose results are released today show that size should not stand in the way of all-round safety," Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAp secretary general said.

As you know by now, the program has introduced in 2009 new overall ratings, which now cover adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist. More changes are expected in the future.

"At the heart of the new Rating Scheme is the objective to offer consumers a full picture of a car’s overall safety performance. Euro NCAP is now able to emphasise the importance of new safety technologies that assist a vehicle’s behaviour before an accident regardless of its size. Euro NCAP is also considering a wider range of future important technologies and driver assistance systems," said the secretary general.