Euro NCAP has awarded Volkswagen’s box fresh Taigo coupe crossover and new Polo supermini five-star ratings in 2022’s first round of crash tests.
Renault’s Megane E-Tech – the first model based on the French manufacturer’s dedicated electric vehicle platform – and the Lexus NX also achieved a top safety score.
The addition of new centre airbags and more advanced crash avoidance systems meant the Polo “cleared the hurdle for a 2022 5 star rating”, said Euro NCAP, while the NX “performed well in tests and scored enough points to qualify for 5 stars”.
Renault has a strong track record in building cars with life-saving technologies and testers praised the marque for having a clear understanding of “how to engineer cars that are not only attractive but are clean and safe at the same time”.
On the Megane E-Tech, body and restraint systems, and a raft of the latest driver systems such as Automatic Emergency Braking, played their part in the hatch securing 5 stars.
The biggest surprise centred on the BMW 2 Series Coupe as it could only manage 4 stars. An autonomous emergency braking system that proved less effective in “more challenging scenarios such as cyclist crossing and turning across {a car’s] path” is where it lost crucial marks.
Euro NCAP Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen, 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 25 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,” he added.
The Volkswagen ID.5 shared the 2021 5 star rating awarded to the nearly identical ID.4, and the Ford Tourneo Connect racked up a score similar to its twin, the top achieving Volkswagen Caddy.
