This system helps protect pedestrians in a collision. If sensors detect a severe enough impact, the rear of the bonnet is immediately raised slightly to soften the blow and avoid unforgiving structures in the engine bay.
Keeps your car at a steady speed and a safe distance from the vehicle ahead. It automatically slows down or speeds up to match traffic flow.
Helps you avoid or lessen an impact by automatically braking if it detects something in your path. It uses sensors and cameras to spot danger and can act even if you don’t have time to.
Lets you turn off the front passenger airbag so you can safely fit a rear-facing child seat in that spot.
Airbags inflate instantly in a crash to cushion you from impact. Different types protect you from the front, side, and even between passengers. They work best when seatbelts are worn.
Each year Euro NCAP checks that a car’s safety rating is still valid and that no major changes have affected its performance. The rating stays linked to the year it was first tested.
Watches how you drive to spot signs of tiredness and reminds you to take a break before fatigue becomes dangerous. Some systems track your steering; others use cameras to see how well you’re keeping in your lane. Learn more about occupant status monitoring.
A safety feature in seatbelts that helps reduce chest injuries in a crash. It lets the belt release a little once a certain force is reached, to manage forces across your chest.
Tightens the seatbelt instantly at the start of a crash, keeping you firmly in your seat and reducing forward movement.
Refers to the car’s shape and size, like supermini, family car, SUV or pick-up. It’s basically the style of the car’s shell.
A Child Restraint System (CRS) is a seat designed to protect children in a crash. Most are bought separately to suit a child’s age or size, but some cars have built-in CRS (also called integrated CRS). Euro NCAP checks how well different CRS fit in cars and how they perform in front and side crashes.
Refers to how well two cars perform in a crash. Bigger or taller vehicles can pose more risk to smaller cars. Compatibility aims to protect everyone by adjusting front-end design, stiffness, and weight to reduce injury for all occupants.
A lifelike mannequin made of plastics, rubber, and metal, designed to mimic how humans react in a crash. It has sensors in key body areas and is recalibrated regularly. Meet our family of dummies, here.
This is a test for driver-assist systems, where a car from the next lane merges in front of the test car – a common traffic situation. Alert drivers usually notice and slow down early, but if they fail to, driver-assistance systems should intervene.
A driver-assist test where the car ahead suddenly moves out of the lane to avoid a stopped vehicle, giving the system very little time to react.
Since 2016, Euro NCAP has allowed cars to have two safety ratings: a base rating for models with standard safety features, and a dual rating showing how much safer the car becomes when an optional safety pack is fitted. This helps buyers see the real benefit of extra crash-avoidance technology. Learn more in How to read the stars.
Data collected from crash test dummies during crash tests – such as forces, acceleration, and movement. Sensors record how different parts of the body would be affected, helping Euro NCAP measure how well a car protects its occupants. Find out more about our dummies.
A moment of inattention can be enough for your vehicle to stray from its lane. Cars fitted with Lane Keep Assist (LKA) will actively brake or steer the vehicle to ensure it stays in its lane. Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK) intervenes more aggressively in those critical situations.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC), also called Electronic Stability Program (ESP), helps prevent a car from skidding by automatically braking individual wheels or reducing engine power when it detects loss of control. Since 2011, ESC has been tested on all cars that meet fitment rules, and from 2014, all cars sold in Europe must have ESC that meets legal standards.
The EEVC brings together representatives from several European countries to research vehicle safety. Specialist groups study specific issues over several years and advise the committee, which then recommends ways to make cars safer in collaboration with governments.
A car facelift updates a model’s styling or features partway through its production run, giving it a fresh look without designing a completely new car. Euro NCAP reviews facelifts to see if these changes affect safety and whether additional testing is needed.
The Global Vehicle Target is an inflatable replica car used by Euro NCAP to check the effectiveness of Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems. Since 2018, some tests use an offset between the car and target to better reflect real-world driving. Read more about vehicle targets.
Head restraints sit at the top of each seat to limit backward head movement in a crash, helping prevent whiplash. Active head restraints move automatically in a rear-end collision to better protect your head.
Quadricycles are small, economical vehicles. Heavy quadricycles (L7) can go faster than light ones (L6) and some reach up to 100 km/h (62mph). They aren’t held to the same safety standards as normal cars, so buyers should be aware of the difference.
A driver-assist system that helps on long motorway drives by adjusting speed automatically based on curves, speed limits, and surrounding traffic.
IACC keeps your car at a steady speed while adjusting automatically to local speed limits and traffic conditions.
i-Size is a European safety standard for child seats, offering maximum protection with rear-facing travel, ISOFIX installation, and easier fitting. All i-Size seats use ISOFIX, but not all regular ISOFIX seats meet i-Size’s higher safety standards.
ISOFIX is a standard system for fitting child seats safely and easily without using seatbelts. Introduced to new cars in Europe in 1997, it became part of the ECE R/44 safety standard in 2004. ISOFIX mounts make it much harder to install a child seat incorrectly and provide better protection in a crash, especially when extra measures prevent seat rotation.
Kerb weight is the total weight of a vehicle without any passengers in it. It includes standard equipment and all necessary operating fluids – such as engine oil, transmission oil, coolant, and fuel.
A moment of inattention can be enough for your vehicle to stray from its lane. Cars fitted with Lane Keep Assist (LKA) will actively brake or steer the vehicle to ensure it stays in its lane. Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK) intervenes more aggressively in those critical situations.
Documents detailing how Euro NCAP tests are performed and assessed. Used by crash test facilities and inspectors, they are regularly updated and available in the Protocol section of the Euro NCAP website.
Small, lightweight vehicles sold as economical transport. They are road-legal, often require only a basic licence, and are not subject to the same safety standards as passenger cars. Light quadricycles (L6) are limited to 45 km/h, while heavy ones (L7) can reach up to 100 km/h.
A document provided by car manufacturers showing key vehicle information for emergency services – such as airbag, battery and high-voltage cable locations, and safe cut points. Since 2020, Euro NCAP rewards manufacturers that supply ISO-compliant rescue sheets. Rescue sheets are readily accessible through Euro NCAP’s Euro Rescue App.
An optional package of technologies that help keep a driver safe – such as Autonomous Emergency Braking and Lane Assistance – offered in addition to a car’s standard safety equipment. From 2016, it allows a second Euro NCAP rating showing the higher safety level achievable when the pack is fitted. Contents may vary by country, and manufacturers must promote fitment across the model’s life cycle.
Euro NCAP ratings are valid for up to six years after publication. Changes to vehicle specification or equipment may shorten this period. In some cases, ratings can be carried over to facelifted cars, variants, or other cars that are twinned with a model.
A system that uses audible and visual alerts to remind occupants to fasten their seat belts.
Systems that help drivers stay within legal speed limits by displaying the local speed limit, and warning when limits are exceeded, or automatically controlling speed. Euro NCAP evaluates these in the Safety Assist category.
Euro NCAP assessments are conducted only at approved laboratories, which perform crash and track testing. The full list is in What is Euro NCAP.
A mid-sized male frontal crash test dummy used in the driver’s seat for the MPDB test introduced in 2020. You can meet the dummies here.
Safety ratings of a tested model apply to its twins, even if exterior details differ.
Certification showing a vehicle meets EU legal standards for safety, emissions, noise, and other criteria. Euro NCAP tests are more demanding and voluntary, not legally required.
A unique 17-character code identifying each vehicle. Defined in ISO 3833, it includes manufacturer, plant, model, and a sequential production number.
A test device simulating a medium-sized car, used for assessing Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems. The Global Vehicle Target (GVT) is a car-sized obstacle for realistic sensor detection, and was introduced to tests in 2018. Read more
Non-motorised or less-protected road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and people with reduced mobility. Euro NCAP focuses mainly on pedestrian and cyclist protection.
