Chinese EV brands gain full marks in latest Euro NCAP crash tests
The new BYD Seal and Dolphin EVs, as well as the P7 from newcomer brand XPeng, have been awarded full five-star crash safety ratings in the latest batch of tests by car safety organisation Euro NCAP.
Electric car buyers can expect a great deal more choice this year and next, with BYD lining up its all-new EVs for UK showrooms, hot on the heels of its Atto 3 small SUV. The XPeng P7 is unlikely to go on sale in UK, though the brand is expected to make its debut here late in 2024 with a mid-size SUV model.
Both brands will be vying to compete with the likes of the popular Tesla Model 3 and Volkswagen ID.3 in an increasingly diverse new EV market. While they won’t be able to rely on the same sort of brand awareness as those models amongst UK buyers, their new safety scores at least show they can match the best European models for passenger safety.
Meanwhile, two of Mercedes’ latest models, the latest E-Class saloon and EQE SUV gained a ‘very good’ rating in Euro NCAP’s separate assessment of advanced driver assistance systems. Read on to find out more.
We’re due to publish our first drive of the BYD Seal in December. Find out how the brand’s first UK model performed in our comprehensive assessments, in our full BYD Atto 3 review.
BYD Seal (from £45,695) – 5 stars
Proving that the five-star NCAP rating given to the Atto 3 SUV was no fluke, the brand’s all-new four-door saloon gets the same honours.
The Seal performed superbly across the board, achieving an impressive 89% score for adult occupant protection – closely followed by scores of 87% and 76% for child occupant protection and safety assistance technology, respectively.
Protection offered for vulnerable road users was high, too, with the Seal getting an 82% score in this area, despite not being fitted with an ‘active’ bonnet designed to mitigate pedestrian injuries. Instead, NCAP testers praised the responsiveness of the cars autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) and its effective intervention when it detected both pedestrians and cyclists.
Impressive safety aside, the BYD Seal will have a job on its hands to compete with key rival the Hyundai Ioniq 6. Find out why in our full BYD Seal review.
BYD Dolphin (from £30,015) – 5 stars
Sitting at the bottom end of the BYD model hierarchy, the Dolphin is a small hatchback is tempting for its decent claimed range and value compared to rivals such as the Peugeot e-208 and Mini Electric. It’s available to order now.
Despite currently being the cheapest BYD, it’s not lacking in the safety stakes, with Euro NCAP awarding the model 89% and 87% for adult and child occupant protection, respectively. It marginally beat the larger Seal for vulnerable road user protection (85%) and for its safety assist systems (79%), with the testers again praising the effectiveness of its AEB technology and the intervention of its automatic lane-keeping aids.
Best small cars for 2023 - find out which of the Dolphin’s rivals aced our road and lab tests.
Mercedes EVs rated for Assisted Driving technology
The complexity of modern active safety systems fitted to new cars meant that, in 2020, Euro NCAP launched a separate rating system to assess them. The latest two models to be scrutinised – the new Mercedes E-Class saloon and GLE SUV – both received the top ‘very good’ rating.
Both cars scored 99% in the crucial ‘safety backup’ category, which determines the effectiveness of the car’s automatic intervention in critical scenarios, such as in an impending collision, or should the driver lose consciousness. This follows on from the brand’s earlier EQE saloon, which was awarded a full 100% rating.
The two new Mercedes cars also scored an identical (and very high) 85% in the ‘assistance competence’ category, which assesses the function of driver aids in more everyday driving scenarios, as well their intuitiveness and ability to recognise an inattentive driver.
It’s worth noting that the ‘Active Distance Assist Distronic’ suite of active safety systems tested includes aspects that are available only as optional extras on both models, so you'll need to pay more for those.
Car safety features explained – find out more about the safety tech to make sure is on your new car.
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