The Ford Puma and the Volkswagen Golf among the best scores in EuroNCAP tests

The eighth-generation Ford Puma and Volkswagen Golf have earned five EuroNCAP stars in the latest tests carried out by the organisation.

The new Ford Puma, the Volkswagen Golf and the electric MG ZS EV are among the six models that achieved top scores in the final round of the Euro NCAP safety tests for 2019.

The Audi Q8, the MG HS and the Nissan Juke also achieved the highest scores, earning five stars. However, lower three-star ratings were awarded to other models from the Volkswagen Group, as well as to a new model from the new Chinese company Aiways.

The Volkswagen Up, Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii siblings were tested for the first time since all three were updated in 2019. Their ratings were reduced from five to three stars because the AEB, a standard feature on the outgoing models, has become an optional extra.

Euro NCAP tests 2019, these are the best-scoring models

Aiways’ new U5 electric SUV, which will go on sale in 2020 as the company’s first European model, also received three stars. The rival to the Kia e-Niro lost points for its performance in the side impact, side pole and pedestrian run-over tests.

Volkswagen Golf

The new 1.5-litre petrol engine promises to help keep the refreshed Volkswagen Golf ahead of its rivals. Aiways responded to the NCAP findings, noting that the U5 “is the first electric vehicle from a Chinese company to be tested by Euro NCAP”.

In addition, the brand’s spokesperson added that “we are a young company and we will adapt and learn from these results. Euro NCAP found the U5 to be structurally safe, and we have already addressed and resolved the other issues highlighted in the tests. We expect the U5 to be among the safest mid-size SUVs available when it goes on sale in Europe next year”.

Aiways will make its European debut in 2020, with the U5 entering the market on an exclusive leasing basis, at a target price of around 350 euros per month. It is expected to launch in the United Kingdom in 2021, and Aiways will be the first of a series of new Chinese companies planning a global launch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz6H5xyjn4Q

Ford Puma

The Ford Puma, which was launched in 2020, achieved a score of 94% in the adult occupant category, providing adequate protection for passengers in the full-width rigid barrier, frontal offset, side barrier and side pole scenarios.

The compact crossover based on the Ford Fiesta lost some points in the pedestrian impact test, with NCAP drawing attention to its “rigid windscreen pillars”, but the model’s autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system was found to prevent collisions in most cases.

The eighth Volkswagen Golf follows its predecessor in achieving a five-star rating. NCAP praised the “excellent crash resistance and standard fitment of a range of assistance systems” of the family hatchback, and noted that the ‘vehicle-to-X’ connectivity systems, as presented in the new Volkswagen Golf, will be tested by NCAP in the future.

In total, Euro NCAP has tested 55 models this year, of which 45 earned a five-star rating. Matthew Avery, Euro NCAP board member and head of research at Thatcham Research, described the EuroNCAP safety standard for new cars as “extremely high this year”.

Noting that the current test was the “toughest” event, Avery added that “when the euroNCAP programme began in 1997, there were claims that it was impossible to achieve a maximum rating. We have come a long way from the days when car manufacturers only knew the most basic and mandatory safety requirements”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI8ejZ3rr6I