Traditionally, vehicle safety has focussed on how a vehicle protects its occupants in a crash. Today, vehicles offer far more than impact protection. The safest car can help drivers to prevent or reduce the severity of an accident, and if a crash does still occur, technology can provide you and those around you with a higher degree of protection.
Vehicle manufacturers are designing and building today's vehicles with a good balance of passive crash protection and systems that actively help avoid a crash as a result of Euro NCAP's encouragement.
Structural protection and the ability to actively avoid a crash are both essential to achieve a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. Striking the right balance will become even more important as vehicles evolve and technology progresses to allow assisted driving, and eventually automated driving.
A strong structure, effective restraint systems, and advanced safety-assist technologies offer the best chance of emerging from an accident with the least possible injuries.
We crash cars so you don’t have to. Every star rating we award helps you choose a car that protects what matters most – you, your passengers, and everyone else who shares the road. Our testing continually evolves to ensure we are driving on the path for a safer future. Our vehicle safety experts continue to listen to consumers and reshape our test and rating approach – giving you independent and reliable information and driving manufacturers to deliver safer cars with greater real-world benefits. Our goal remains focussed: helping you stay safe, every drive.
Here’s what’s new for 2026.
Every car rated by Euro NCAP undergoes the same rigorous assessment. Tests are conducted to determine the protection offered in a crash, but also to see how effective the car is at helping the driver to avoid an accident in the first place. Euro NCAP’s assessment has evolved continually since the first cars were rated in 1997.
