The passenger compartment of the Kia EV3 remained stable in the frontal offset test.  Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of both the driver and front passenger.  However, Kia was precluded from demonstrating an equivalent level of safety for other sizes/positions of occupant as the femur loads recorded were above Euro NCAP’s limit, and the score was penalised.  In addition, there was insufficient pressure in the driver’s airbag to prevent the head from making contact, through the airbag fabric, with the steering-wheel, and protection of that part of the body was downgraded to ‘adequate’.  Analysis of the deceleration of the impact trolley during the test, and analysis of the deformable barrier after the test, revealed that the Kia EV3 would be a moderately benign impact partner in a frontal collision.  In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection was good for all critical body regions of both the driver and the rear seat passenger.    In the side barrier test, the Kia EV3 provided good protection to all critical body areas and scored maximum points.  In the more severe side pole impact, protection of the chest was rated as marginal, based on dummy readings of rib compression.  Control of excursion (the extent to which a body is thrown to the other side of the vehicle when it is hit from the far side) was also found to be marginal  The Kia EV3 has a countermeasure to mitigate against occupant-to-occupant injuries in such impacts.  The airbag performed well in Euro NCAP’s tests with dummy readings indicating good protection for both the driver and passenger.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.  However, a geometric analysis of the rear seats indicated marginal whiplash protection.  The car has an advanced eCall system which alerts the emergency services in the event of a crash, and a  system to prevent secondary impacts after the car has been in a collision.  Kia demonstrated that the doors and windows would be openable to allow occupants to escape in the event of vehicle submergence.

In the frontal offset test, protection of the 6 year dummy was good for all critical body areas and good or adequate for the 10 year dummy.  In the side barrier test, protection of the 6 year dummy was good for both 6 and 10 year dummies.  The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded.    The Kia EV3 is not equipped with 'child presence detection' as standard, a system which can alert others if children have been left in the car. All of the child restraint types for which the Kia EV3 is designed could be properly installed and accommodated in the car.

Protection of the head of a struck pedestrian or cyclist was largely adequate or marginal, with poor results recorded on the stiff windscreen pillars and at the base and top of the screen.   Protection of the pelvis was mixed. Protection of the femur was mostly good, while that of the knee and tibia was good at all test locations  The autonomous emergency braking system of the Kia EV3 responds to vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, as well as to other vehicles.  In tests of its response to pedestrians, the system performed adequately.  The system performed well in tests of its reaction to cyclists including, in the car equipped with the optional safety pack, some reaction to those to the rear of the car.  System response to motorcyclists was adequate.

Overall, the performance of the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system was adequate in tests of its reaction to other vehicles, with an improved performance in crossing scenarios for cars equipped with the optional safety pack.  A seatbelt reminder system is fitted as standard to the front and rear seats.    The car has a direct driver status monitoring system as standard, detecting driver fatigue and some types of distraction.  The lane support system gently corrects the vehicle’s path if it is drifting out of lane and also intervenes in some more critical situations.  The speed assistance system identifies the local speed limit.  The driver can choose to allow the limiter to be set automatically by the system.