Euro NCAP’s Best in Class Cars of 2017

10th January 2018

2017 was Euro NCAP’s busiest-ever year with nearly seventy models assessed and, today, Euro NCAP announces the year’s best performers.

Volkswagen emerges with great credit with winners in three categories – the Polo in the supermini class, T Roc in the small off-road category and the prestigious Arteon in the executive class - and Volvo reinforces its reputation for safety with this year’s best overall performer, the large off-road XC60.

Most of the models tested in 2017 were new to the market and most of these achieved the maximum five-star rating which, set against Euro NCAP’s increasingly tough assessment regime, reflects the ever-improving safety of modern vehicles.  Older, facelifted models fared less well, their ratings, generally poorer than those of newer cars, reflecting a lack of advanced restraint systems and driver-assistance technologies.

Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, “Congratulations to Volkswagen! To win best-in-class in three different categories is a great achievement and underlines the company’s commitment to providing the highest levels of safety to its customers.  Subaru and Opel are also offering class-leading products while Volvo continues to underline its reputation for safety.  More broadly, though, it is encouraging to see so many new cars performing so well in all areas of safety, and being equipped with greater and greater levels of life-saving technology.”

Pedestrian-detecting autobrake systems, first tested by Euro NCAP in 2016, was already available on 82 percent of the cars tested in 2017 and standard equipment on 62 percent of them.  Speed assistance was offered on 92 percent of the new cars tested, and was standard equipment on 82 percent.  Yet these advancements in driver-assistance technology took nothing away from improvements in crash-protection:  96 percent offered standard two or more seating positions in the car compatible with new i-Size child restraints and 94 percent of new cars now offer rear seat load limiters and belt tensioners as standard.

About Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP organizes crash tests on new vehicles and provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe. Established in 1997 and backed by several European Governments, motoring, consumer and insurance organizations, Euro NCAP has rapidly become a catalyst for encouraging significant safety improvements to new car design. Visit our website: www.euroncap.com

Euro NCAP ratings strictly apply to vehicles of the specifications offered in Europe. The ratings do not necessarily apply to models offered in other regions, even when sold under an identical name, as production specification and equipment may vary.

¹ Some categories are omitted owing to low numbers of tested vehicles.