Euro NCAP

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The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European car safety performance assessment programme founded in 1997 by the Transport Research Laboratory for the UK Department for Transport. The organisation is now backed by the European Commission, the governments of France, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands and Spain, as well as motoring and consumer organisations in every EU country.^[1] ^[2] Euro NCAP publishes safety reports on new cars, and awards 'star ratings' based on the performance of the vehicles in a variety of crash tests, including front, side and pole impacts, and impacts with pedestrians.

The frontal tests are performed at 64 km/h (40 mph) into an offset deformable barrier. The side impact tests are performed at 50 km/h (31 mph), but the side impact pole test is performed at 29 km/h (18 mph). The pedestrian safety tests are performed at 40 km/h (25 mph).

Over the years, European automakers' cars have become much safer, partly thanks to the Euro NCAP standards. Test results are commonly presented by motor press, and in turn greatly influence consumer demand for a vehicle. One notable example of this is the Rover 100, which after receiving a one-star Adult Occupant Rating in the tests in 1998, suffered from poor sales and was withdrawn from production soon afterwards.^[3] BMW's 2007 MINI, for example, had its bonnet (hood) and headlamp fixture changed to meet the latest pedestrian safety requirements.^[4]

The Euro NCAP testing is voluntary to the manufacturers but all European cars must meet the requirements as expressed in "Directive[s] of the European Parliament and Council", and one of these which involves frontal impact is termed Directive 2003/102/EC.^[5] It is this directive and its predecessors (dating back to Directive 70/156/EEC, of 1970) and successors which require cars to be designed to meet the safety requirements.