November 2022 constituted a significant landmark for the European New Car Assessment Programme, signalling the completion of its 25th year in business following its formation in December 1996.
Unquestionably, Euro NCAP has much to feel proud about. Over a quarter of a century, it has become synonymous with raising car safety standards, particularly through its now omnipresent star rating system. While it sees its role in relatively simple terms – as a consumer organisation that tests the safety performance of cars to push forward development across the industry – its impact has been extensive.
Speaking to Autocar Business from Euro NCAP’s base in Leuven, Belgium, secretary general Michiel van Ratingen is justifiably proud of how successful the programme has been. “Today, no consumers should actually be worried about the basic safety of a vehicle. Overall, the European market is perhaps the safest in the world when it comes to vehicle safety. That doesn’t happen automatically. That happens because you continuously push the boundaries and the barriers to make sure that equipment, which is often readily available, actually ends up in the vehicles.”
Far from being a month of reflection, however, November was a time to look forward thanks to the publication of Vision 2030, a manifesto for the future created to ensure safety remains a priority in the industry.
At its very outset, Vision 2030 makes clear that we are now in an era that presents new challenges, acknowledging “an increasingly complex landscape of safety technologies, many of which [buyers] do not fully understand or appreciate.”
It’s little surprise, then, that its scope is so vast. Although the headline five-star rating will remain in place, this shifting landscape is set to result in some fundamental alterations to how Euro NCAP assesses cars, with four distinct phases of a potential crash to be considered: safe driving; crash avoidance; crash protection; and post-crash safety. This will take effect from 2026, with Euro NCAP switching to a three-year protocol update cycle.
Other changes include the introduction of ‘virtual’ testing, improved testing for vulnerable road user protection (such as cyclists and pedestrians) and the arrival of rating incentives for driver monitoring systems.