The passenger compartment of the Subaru Forester remained stable in the frontal offset test.  Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs for the driver and front passenger.  Subaru demonstrated that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different positions.  Protection was good for all critical body regions of the passenger.  Analysis of the deceleration of the impact trolley during the test, and analysis of the deformable barrier after the test, revealed that the Subaru Forester would be a moderately benign impact partner in a frontal collision. In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of the chest of the rear passenger was rated as weak, based on dummy readings of compression, but protection was otherwise good for both that occupant and for the driver.  In both the side barrier test and the more severe side pole impact, full points were scored with good protection of all critical body areas. 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 found to be adequate. The Subaru Forester 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.  However, the performance of the airbag was not symmetrical, performing more poorly when the car was struck on the passenger’s side, and the score for head protection was penalised.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.  A geometric analysis of the rear seats also indicated good 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.  Subaru 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 all critical parts of the body was good for the 6 and 10 year dummy, and the Subaru Forester scored maximum points. In the side barrier test, protection of the head of the 10 year dummy was adequate.  The car automatically disables the front passenger airbag to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  Subaru demonstrated that the system worked robustly, and the system was rewarded.  The Forester is equipped with an indirect 'child presence detection' system, which issues a warning when it recognises that a child or infant may have been left in the car.  All of the child restraint types for which the Subaru Forester is designed could be properly installed and accommodated in the car, apart from the iSize restraint in the rear centre position.

Protection of the head of a struck pedestrian or cyclist was predominantly good, with some poor results recorded only on the stiff windscreen pillars.  Protection of the pelvis was good or adequate at all test locations.  Protection of the femur and that of the knee and tibia was good at all test locations.  The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system of the Subaru can respond to vulnerable road users as well as to other vehicles.  The system’s response both to pedestrians was good, except for the protection offered to pedestrians to the rear of the car. The system’s performance in tests of its reaction to cyclists was also good, but it does not protect against ‘dooring’, where a door is suddenly opened in the path of a cyclist approaching from behind.  Performance of the AEB system was good in tests of its response to motorcyclists.

Overall, the performance of the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system was adequate in tests of its reaction to other vehicles, with impacts being avoided in many tests.  However, system performance was poor in the head-on test scenarios.  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 several 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.