EuroNcap has reduced seven new car models from mint condition to scrap in the name of safety. Five of them receive the full score: five stars.
EuroNcap has five stars for the safety of the Audi A3 Sportback, Seat Leon, Isuzu D-Max, Kia Sorento and Land Rover Defender. They were all found to be very safe after being rammed into the wall and in the flank, among other things. There are some footnotes for the top scorers. The Land Rover Defender – unsurprisingly – has a pretty tough effect on other vehicles and pedestrians. Those who are in it themselves will get off much better. The Kia Sorento scores particularly well thanks to a wide range of collision avoidance safety systems, but was slightly less impressive in an actual head-on collision, according to NCAP. Still, the former compensates enough for the full score.
EuroNcap has also destroyed a number of copies of the Honda e in the context of everyone’s safety. The mischievous electric Japanese scored four stars. According to the test authority, the EV is largely ignoring the fifth star because of the safety systems present and suggests that the Honda can still ‘learn’ something from the range of such systems that it provides in the Jazz. The new Hyundai i10 is the least impressive of the seven cars tested, although that is not a shame given its segment and price. Nevertheless, EuroNcap notices that other compact cars offer better Automatic Emergency Braking, for example. In the event of a head-on collision, the pelvis of the occupant can shoot below the seat belt, which is what the test authority calls submarining.