The passenger compartment of the Ceed remained stable in the frontal offset test. Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of the driver and passenger. Kia showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different positions. There was insufficient pressure in the driver's airbag to prevent the head from flattening out the airbag and, in effect, making contact with the steering wheel. Although dummy readings did not reveal critical injury values, the score was penalised and protection of this body area reduced to 'adequate'. In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of all body areas was good or adequate for both the driver and rear passenger. In the side barrier impact, protection of all critical parts of the body was good and the Ceed scored full points in this test. However, in the more severe side pole test, readings of shoulder force indicated that this part of the dummy had taken much of the load that would otherwise have been on the ribs. As a result, the score for the chest was heavily penalised and its protection was rated as poor. Protection of other body areas was good. Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision. A geometric assessment of the rear seats indicated marginal whiplash protection. The Ceed has, as standard, and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that operates at the low speeds at which many whiplash injuries occur. In Euro NCAP's tests, the system performed well.

With the exception of the neck of the 10 year dummy, for which dummy readings of tensile forces indicated marginal protection, all critical body areas were well or adequately protected in the frontal offset test. In the side barrier impact, protection of all critical body areas was good and the car scored maximum points for this part of the assessment. 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. All of the restraint types for which the Ceed is designed could be properly installed and accommodated in the car.

The protection provided by the bonnet to the head of a struck pedestrian was predominantly good or adequate, with some poor results recorded on the stiff windscreen pillars. The bumper offered good protection to pedestrians' legs but protection of the pelvis was mixed, with results ranging from good to marginal. The AEB system fitted as standard responds only to other vehicles and does not detect vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists.

The Ceed has a seatbelt reminder for the front and rear seats. Lane support helps to prevent accidental drifting out of lane and also intervenes more aggressively in certain critical situations. A driver-set speed limiter helps to prevent over-speeding. The standard-fit AEB system performed adequately in tests of its response to other vehicles at highway speeds.