NIO sets the bar high in Euro NCAP’s newly updated 2023 safety tests

Euro NCAP continues to be a catalyst for continuous safety improvements in passenger vehicles through its rating programme.

As mobility evolves through developments in technology and society, so do  Euro NCAP’s rating requirements . In 2023, the safety testing protocol has been updated to include new systems in child presence detection, specifications for vehicle submergence as well as the latest technologies that detect – and respond – to motorcyclists and vulnerable road users. To achieve Euro NCAP’s five-star rating in 2023, manufacturers must now meet the exacting targets of this updated test protocol. Euro NCAP has announced that the first vehicles to achieve five stars are two cars from Chinese manufacturer NIO and new to the European market: the Large Family car ET5 and the Large SUV EL7.

The ability of a vehicle to protect occupants and vulnerable users in the event of a crash (passive safety), to prevent or minimise the outcomes of a crash (active safety) and comprehensive information about post-crash rescue are now essential to achieve a high Euro NCAP safety rating. Both vehicles from this Chinese brand display good levels of passive safety with good protection offered for the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger as well as occupants of different sizes sitting in different positions within the car.