Euro NCAP publishes the safety ratings of eight new vehicles: the Volvo XC60 in the large off-road category; the VW T-Roc, Škoda Karoq and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross in the small off-road category; the Citroën C3 Aircross and Opel Crossland X small MPV category; and two superminis – the new VW Polo and the SEAT Ibiza’s partner, the Arona. All cars achieve a maximum five-star rating.
The new Volvo XC60 becomes the best all-round performer of 2017 so far and matches the performance of the XC90, tested in 2015. With an almost-perfect 98 percent in adult occupant protection and with an array of driver assistance features, the XC60 demonstrates the levels of safety available on top-end models.
But safety is not confined to the higher end of the market. The subcompact hatchback is Europe’s highest-selling segment and manufacturers have been keen to add high-tech to their latest offerings. The new VW Polo joins the Nissan Micra, Ford Fiesta and SEAT Ibiza amongst the ranks of recently-tested superminis to feature a whole host of driver assistance features, including standard-fit autonomous emergency braking. The SEAT Arona, a partner of the Ibiza, shares that car’s impressive safety specification and is also rewarded with a five-star rating.
Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, said, “Of course, it is great to see the likes of Volvo producing cars that get almost-full marks in some areas of our tests, and it demonstrates why Euro NCAP has to keep adapting its requirements. Next year will see new tests and even tougher requirements for five stars. But it is the high-selling mass-market vehicles that will really influence road safety in the future and manufacturers like Nissan, Ford, SEAT and VW are to be congratulated for democratising safety by making high-tech safety assistance available on their superminis. We expect Renault, whose Clio leads European sales in this segment, to follow suit in due course.”
This release also features three small off-roaders. The VW T-Roc, Škoda Karoq and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross all score highly, with robust performance in all areas of assessment. In this release, the small MPV category is the only one in which AEB is not standard: the Opel Crossland X and its platform-sharing cousin the Citroën C3 Aircross have AEB as an option only but come equipped with other driver assistance systems to gain their five star ratings.
