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These latest Test Results have been released to coincide with the Geneva Motor Show.

For the first time the 36 point test score is breached by a super-mini and makes history as the highest score achieved by any car in Europe’s leading independent crash tests, confirmed Euro NCAP today (2 March). The car, Peugeot’s 1007 also achieved the top five star occupant protection rating.

The results of two other cars, the Honda FR-V and the Suzuki Swift, which both achieved the four star occupant protection rating, are also released.

In addition, in these latest tests, pedestrian protection has improved overall with both the Honda FR-V and the Suzuki Swift achieving the 3 star rating.

All three cars used the Britax Roemer Due Plus child restraints and in each case, Euro NCAP’s 3 star child protection rating was achieved.

Summary of Results

Notes:

1. Organisations participating to Euro NCAP include the Departments of Transport of Sweden, The Netherlands, France , Germany , the United Kingdom and Catalonia as well as the FIA Foundation, the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), Thatcham on behalf of the British Motor Insurers and the International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT) on behalf of the European consumer organisations.

2. Future Phases will continue with testing of new cars in all segments; the next release will be on the 28th June 2005.

3. Australia has adopted the same testing protocols as Euro NCAP and they are publishing results from Euro NCAP that are applicable in their market. The Euro NCAP testing protocols are unique in that they include tests for front, side impact and pole impact and also gives information on pedestrian.

4. Euro NCAP introduced an additional star rating for child protection in November 2003. This rating is for a combination of a car with specific child seats that have been recommended by the car manufacturer. The combination can now earn up to five stars for child protection. The rating depends on the fitting instructions for the child seats, the car’s ability to accommodate them safely and their performance in front and side impact tests. However, there are important limitations to this rating, which are:

• The child protection rating cannot be used for the car alone, nor can it used for the car with a different combination of child seats.

• The tested child seat alone does not have a child protection rating.

• The same child seat tested in combination with other cars may give a different child protection rating.

5. The front impact test is conducted at 64km/h (40mph) into an offset deformable barrier, the side impact test 50km/h (30mph), the pole test at 29km/h (18mph) and the pedestrian tests at 40km/h (25mph).

6. The full results will be placed on the website www.euroncap.com from 2nd March.

Source: Euro NCAP 

Also see a report on the importance of NCAP testing (March 3, 2005) from the SMMT, here.