Volkswagen’s Taigo and Polo earn top marks in latest Euro NCAP tests

The Volkswagen Taigo has become one of the latest cars to achieve a five-star safety rating as part of Euro NCAP’s first set of results for 2022.

The crossover was joined by its Polo stablemate with the five-star award, helped by the introduction of new centre airbags and a variety of crash avoidance systems included as part of the 2022 facelift.

The Lexus NX also scored a full five stars, with the hybrid SUV performing well across the board. However, Lexus’ engineers did not provide all the technical information usually shared with Euro NCAP.

Renault’s new electric Megane E-Tech was also included in the latest round of tests and, thanks to its ‘improved body and restraint systems’ along with its advanced driver assistance systems scored five stars.

The new BMW 2 Series was also put to the test but missed out on five stars – scoring four instead – due to its good crash protection and ‘satisfactory’ protection to vulnerable road users. The autonomous emergency braking system was also found to work ‘adequately’ in more straightforward situations, though it struggled in more ‘challenging’ scenarios.

Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general, said: “It’s good to start the anniversary year with some high-performing cars. Euro NCAP has been setting the standard for car safety for twenty-five years. The next ten will bring huge challenges, with assisted and automated driving very much at the forefront of the changes ahead.

“Our focus on ADAS – advanced driver assistance systems – over the last ten years or so makes us well-placed to rate these new aspects of vehicle technology and to continue to provide key information to car buyers in the future.”

Volkswagen’s ID.5 was also included in the latest round of tests and managed a five-star mark, as did the new Ford Tourneo Connect.