Subscribe to our newsletter
Euro NCAP releases results for four new cars tested under 2026’s tougher protocols, with three Chinese cars, the AION UT, GEELY E2 and Leapmotor B05, all achieving a five-star rating.
Europe’s CUPRA Raval receives five stars with an optional Safety Pack.
LEUVEN, BELGIUM – Under the latest 2026 assessment protocols, exhaustive on-road evaluation and extensive crash testing carried out by Euro NCAP, the safety performance results are now available for four new cars.
The cars tested were the potentially big-selling European CUPRA Raval and some perhaps less familiar Chinese names: the new AION UT, GEELY E2 and Leapmotor B05. These three vehicles were assessed against Euro NCAP’s latest protocols, together with the CUPRA Raval.
The optional Safety Pack offered for the CUPRA Raval significantly increases the active technologies fitted to the car and enhances its ability to respond to potential danger, especially during low-speed driving and at junctions, hence the five-star rating.
With impressive crash protection, the Raval achieves a four-star score with its standard safety equipment. While providing the full suite of safety equipment as standard would be preferable, an optional safety pack keeps the vehicle affordable while making additional safety technologies available to consumers who choose them.
The names may be unfamiliar, but when it comes to safer driving, the latest brands from China are setting their sights high and competing with Europe’s established marques. New cars continue to enter the European market delivering results comparable to well-known models from European, Korean and Japanese brands. These three new entries from Chinese brands have all achieved the maximum five-star rating.
Chinese models are increasingly popular with European consumers, accounting for seven per cent of all EU new car sales, and nearly 10 per cent in the UK, last year. Since 2021, in response to consumer trends, the number of Chinese cars assessed for safety by Euro NCAP has risen nearly tenfold.
All these star ratings and a detailed breakdown of each model’s performance are available on Euro NCAP’s website, allowing consumers to research safety performance when buying their next car.
“Automotive safety across Chinese vehicles has evolved dramatically since Euro NCAP tested its first Chinese-manufactured car in 2010. There is still some way to go, but today’s results clearly demonstrate that Chinese carmakers are still working hard to match the high standards expected by European consumers.“It would be preferable for European brand CUPRA to offer active technologies as standard, but a safety pack is a compromise. By actively embracing Euro NCAP’s rigorous targets, particularly this year, carmakers are showing they want to deliver safer vehicles for everyone on Europe’s roads.“Euro NCAP continues to offer even more insights into the safety performance of new cars. Consumers should remember, however, that an important part of the safety journey is the drive. Don’t forget to try before you buy!”- Dr Aled Williams, Programme Director, Euro NCAP
CUPRA Raval: four stars, or five stars with Safety Pack
The CUPRA Raval is pitched as a sporty electric supermini that competes with cars including the Kia EV2 and Renault 5. Here, it is evaluated with its standard safety equipment and with CUPRA’s optional Safety Pack. It delivers solid results across all four assessment categories, earning a four-star overall rating in standard specification and a five-star rating with the Safety Pack fitted.
In the cabin, the Raval scored high marks for its comfort and infotainment user interface, alongside robust seatbelt-usage detection and driver monitoring. However, it lacks a child-presence detection system to warn if a child has been left in the car.
The Raval features reliable lane-departure prevention and strong vehicle-to-vehicle automatic emergency braking protection. The car’s physical protection is impressive. It scored full points in side-barrier impacts and full-width frontal rigid tests, supported by good performance from its centre airbag. Good Post-Crash Safety systems further impressed Euro NCAP’s experts.
AION UT: five stars
The AION UT is an electric family hatchback that competes with the likes of the Mini Aceman, Renault 4 and Volkswagen ID. Polo. This Chinese brand is still in its infancy, yet the new model achieves a five-star safety rating, showing good performance across all four stages of safety.
Euro NCAP’s experts point out that the UT relies too heavily on the centre screen for key driving controls. Infotainment scores better with the use of buttons and switches. It dropped points for its road-based speed-limit recognition system, which achieved a 68 per cent accuracy rate, and for the lack of a child-presence detection system that issues a warning if a child has been left in the car.
The AION UT has all the latest crash-avoidance systems. Except for frontal monitoring in relation to a car or motorcyclist crossing a junction, these systems perform well across all test scenarios. With a Crash Protection score of 91 per cent and good Post-Crash Safety performance, it proves to be a strong all-rounder.
GEELY E2: five stars
One of China’s better-known brands, GEELY has scored a home hit with its E2, also called the EX2 in some markets, after it was China’s best-selling car last year. During its assessment, the small electric hatchback demonstrated high-level protection across the board, earning a five-star Euro NCAP rating.
Good use is made of physical controls for key driving commands and the car’s infotainment system, which received a total score of 80%. Standard direct Child Presence Detection earned the E2 additional marks.
However, GEELY’s automatic emergency braking system was inconsistent, performing well in certain scenarios but dropping significant points in others. The E2 also dropped considerable points after failing to adequately protect the driver’s legs in a front-offset crash simulation, although its physical protection scores were otherwise good. Euro NCAP’s testers noted that the seatbelt for the 10-year-old child partially slipped off the shoulder.
Leapmotor B05: five stars
Taking on some of Europe’s best-known family hatchbacks, including the Renault Megane and Volkswagen Golf, the Leapmotor B05 is a relatively new Chinese electric car that scores well across all testing disciplines, particularly Crash Protection, to secure a five-star rating.
While it has a Child Presence Detection system, the B05 lacks an adaptive restraint system for occupants of different statures. It also does not recognise when the front-seat passenger is sitting in an unsafe position, such as with their feet on the dashboard. Its comfort and infotainment controls would benefit from greater use of physical switches.
The car’s automatic emergency braking performance was exceptional in high-speed and junction scenarios, complemented by a near-perfect lane-departure prevention system. In crash testing, the B05 scored maximum points in both side-barrier and side-pole impacts, with its centre airbag ensuring full protection against occupant head contact. Pelvis and femur protection for vulnerable road users scored 100%.
Additional results assessed under the 2025 protocols
Euro NCAP is also releasing additional results assessed under its 2025 protocols, including those for the Kia K4, which received four stars or five stars with the Safety Pack, and the Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabrio, which received five stars.
First tested by Australasian NCAP in 2025, the Kia K4’s ratings are also supported by Euro NCAP following some additional testing. A competitor to the Volkswagen Golf, the K4 produced consistently solid results, earning five stars when equipped with Kia’s optional Safety Pack and four stars without it.
The Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabrio was tested in coupé format last year according to Euro NCAP’s 2025 protocols, and the scores carry across to the CLE cabriolet variant. The four-seat soft-top also achieves a five-star result, with further details available online.
Editor’s note
How dual ratings work
Base rating: Reflects the safety performance and equipment fitted as standard on every version sold across Europe.
Optional rating: Shows the higher level of safety achieved when a manufacturer’s optional safety pack is installed.
Eligibility rules: To qualify for a dual rating, manufacturers must offer the safety pack as a standalone option and meet strict minimum fitment rates across the market. Over time, features once locked behind these packs must transition into standard equipment.
For full results, visit www.euroncap.com or Euro NCAP’s newsroom for journalists.
For media information, please contact Cordelia Wilson at media@euroncap.com.
