MOTORCYCLE AND CARS

The European New Car Assessment Programme, known as Euro NCAP, has been providing high quality car testing since its creation in 1997. Offering testing which far exceeds that which is done by the manufacturers, Euro NCAP is often seen as a mark of approval to consumers.


A trusted name, Euro NCAP results are a huge influence on which cars consumers purchase. This is especially relevant for families with small children.

Tests are done on a star system, with five stars being the maximum score. A car with a five star rating will perform significantly better in an accident than a car with a lower rating.

To determine which rating a car will be given, tests from four categories are carried out:

Adult Protection

Broken down into four subcategories, Adult Protection determines the effects of a crash on both the driver and front seat passenger.

Frontal Impact
Simulating a head on collision with another vehicle of equal size at 40 mph, this test mimics the most common type of road accident.

Side Impact
Testing the effects of an impact to the side of the vehicle at 30 mph also by a vehicle of the same side; this test looks for how much intrusion there is into the interior of the vehicle. The more intrusion, the more chance there is of serious injury to the passengers.

Pole Side Impact
At a speed of 18mph, the side of the tested car is impacted by a barrier representing a tree or lamppost. Because the impact area is smaller, intrusion into the cabin more likely.

Whiplash Protection
This is one of the newest testing criteria, introduced in reaction to rising instances of whiplash injuries during collisions. The introduction of this aspect of testing has led to manufacturers putting more effort into creating seats and headrests which prevent these types of injuries.

Child Protection  

A huge influencing factor in which car parents (and prospective parents) choose to buy, the child protection tests look at a number of key areas, including:

Collision testing
Dummies representing one-and-a-half and three-year-old children are placed in the back seat of the tested car and the stresses they receive during crash testing is measured. For all tests, the dummies are placed into manufacturer approved car seats.

Car Seat Compatibility
This tests how well car seats are anchored to the car, increasing safety.

Additional Tests
ISOFIX is the highest standard in child car seats; cars are given extra points for compatibility with them. Also the ability to disable front airbags, allowing a backwards facing seat to be put in the front seat adds bonus points.

Pedestrian Protection

This tests how much damage the car in question would do if it hit a pedestrian. Key testing areas are the lower leg, upper leg and head. Many manufacturers change the design of their cars to score higher in this test.
Some cars come with active bonnets, which deploy when a collision is detected and help to reduce damage to the person’s head.

Additional Testing Points

Manufacturers who go to greater lengths to develop and implement further safety equipment are awarded additional points. Systems which allow drivers to eliminate blind spots or advanced traction control systems are examples of features which would merit such points.

Based on the combined results of these tests, cars are then given their overall rating. Although not compulsory, many manufacturers actively seek to have their cars tested by Euro NCAP because a five star rating is very prestigious.

This piece was written by Mark Enright & Evans Halshaw