Euro NCAP has called on vehicle manufacturers to improve occupant safety following a head-on collision as cars continue to get bigger and heavier.
It has urged manufacturers not to settle for the ‘status quo’, and believes Mobile Progressive Deformable Barrier (MPDB) testing, which it introduced in 2020, can support improved safety in vehicle design.
The safety body has issued this warning after its latest round of testing, which underscored the trend towards heavier cars.
It said that over the past 10 years, the average weight of cars sold in Europe has increased by 100kg. This is being driven by the growing popularity of SUVs, which accounted for 54% of new cars sales in Europe last year, and the adoption of electric vehicles.
Euro NCAP updated its frontal offset test in 2020 with the introduction of MPDB testing, which allowed it to examine not only protection levels of occupants in the vehicle, but also the vehicle’s impact on other cars on the road.
All 16 models tested in the latest round scored highly in protecting occupants in the vehicle, but MPDB results revealed some are potentially harmful to occupants in other cars in the event of a head-on collision.
These included the Audi Q5, weighing 2245 kg, and the Volkswagen Tayron. Previous tests have also given the BMW iX, Land Rover Defender, NIO ES8, and Polestar 2 the maximum penalty during MPDB testing.
MPDB testing
Dr. Aled Williams, programme director at Euro NCAP, said: “When Euro NCAP introduced Mobile Progressive Deformable Barrier testing in 2020, the objective was to assess how well cars protect people in the event of the most common – and one of the most dangerous – accidents, an offset head-on collision.
“Since then, we have responded to the general trend toward larger, heavier cars and adjusted the MPDB test scoring system to encourage manufacturers to ensure that heavier cars are not disproportionately damaging to lighter vehicles. At the same time, the makers of smaller, lighter cars can benefit from these valuable learnings.
“We know car manufacturers have the capability to design and build frontal structures that can better manage the proportions and mass of the vehicle and the violent change in momentum that comes with a frontal collision.
“We believe Euro NCAP’s impartial testing can bring about significant improvements in this critical sector of car safety, and we will continue to monitor the market developments in this area.”
