Electric NIO cars score top marks in updated Euro NCAP safety tests
EVs were the first to face new, tougher tests
Two of Chinese EV firm NIO’s new electric cars have scored the top five-star rating in new and updated Euro NCAP safety tests.
The organisation continues to evolve its testing methods to ensure the best safety in cars is being assessed, with two of NIO’s models being the first to face these new, more thorough tests.
NIO is a Chinese electric car firm that has Tesla in its sights. While launching first in its home market, the firm has already expanded into select European countries, including Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. While it is yet to confirm an official date for a UK launch, it’s expected to introduce its first models here in the coming year.
The two NIO’s facing Euro NCAP tests were the firm’s ET5 mid-size saloon and the large EL7 SUV, with both cars scoring high marks across the board, and receiving the top five-star safety rating as a result.
New testing procedures for 2022 included a range of tests to assess a vehicle’s ‘Active Safety’. This includes car-to-motorcycle crashes as well as ‘dooring’ (where a car door is opened into another vehicle or cyclist) and driver condition monitoring systems.
While Euro NCAP said the two NIOs ‘delivered exceptional performance in most of the tests’, it added that there was ‘still room for improvement’ when it came to the more challenging scenarios.
Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP secretary general, said: “As the new rating gets tougher, to be among the first cars tested might be slightly daunting. However, NIO has stepped up to the challenge and achieved two five-star results, underlining their big ambitions for the brand.
“Safety technologies are becoming complex, yet I want to reassure consumers that Euro NCAP will continue to anticipate and adapt to changes in our rating scheme, challenging vehicle manufacturers to ensure drivers – and the road users they interact with – are offered the safest possible vehicles.”
The Tesla Model 3-rivalling NIO ET5 will be making its UK debut at this week’s Goodwood of Festival of Speed, starting tomorrow. (July 13).
