Chinese cars match European and Japanese models in safety

20 years ago, as the first cars from Chinese brands appeared in the European market, there was interest in how safe they would be if involved in accidents. For that, European consumers have long had Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) to refer to. The independent organisation periodically tests new models in the market, conducting crash tests as well, and then providing a comprehensive report on various safety aspects, summarised with star ratings.

Those early Chinese cars performed poorly in the tests, with one model (tested by the German ADAC organisation in 2005) being so severely damaged. The impression was that cars from the Chinese brands were not safe, at least by the standards established by Euro NCAP and recognised by the auto industry.

China also has its own NCAP
But that was 20 years ago and since then, the Chinese auto industry has advanced tremendously. China also has its own NCAP (C-NCAP) organisation which was established to assess the safety of new vehicles manufactured in China. It is managed by the China Automotive Technology and Research Centre and takes into account local traffic conditions, driving behaviours, and technological advancements.

Meeting C-NCAP’s standards, which would no doubt be tough, would be an important objective of all Chinese carmakers if they want to win the trust of the consumers in the world’s largest new vehicle market. And so the automakers have kept improving their safety standards in line with the rest of the world.

Now that there is a big export push by the Chinese auto industry, it has become all the more important that they can achieve top scores in the internationally recognised Euro NCAP ratings. There are other NCAPs too, in various regions that include ASEAN. These NCAPs are part of the Global NCAP group which coordinates and shares information so that standards are generally similar.

In some cases, due to unique local conditions, one NCAP may add or omit a requirement. An example is the focus on motorcycle safety by ASEAN NCAP because the population of 2-wheelrs in the region in great and the accident numbers are high.

Standards evolve over time
Having been established in 1996, Euro NCAP’s ratings over the years show how occupant safety in vehicles has improved. Notably, the standards are not static in that what was required in 1996 to achieve 4 or 5 stars is not the same as today where it is much tougher. Euro NCAP has taken into account advancements in safety technologies and where they have become widely available and costs have come down, then their mandatory inclusion is required in order to score maximum points.

For example, advanced driver assistance systems were not a requirement 25 years ago although airbags and of course seatbelts were compulsory. In recent times, crash avoidance technology and  automated emergency braking have become important criteria in Euro NCAP’s assessments. Thus the 5 stars that are awarded are based on evolving standards that also reflect greater safety.

The latest results
Returning to the subject of Chinese cars, many of the latest models tested by Euro NCAP over the past few years have been able to achieve top scores, comparable to European and Japanese models. In the latest batch of 8 2025 models tested, 4 were from Chinese brands and 1 was made in China (the MINI Cooper E). All of them scored the maximum of 5 stars, matching the overall scores of the CUPRA Terramar, Audi A6 and Polestar 3 (which is made in America).

The Chinese models were the BYD Sealion 7, JAECOO J7 PHEV, Geely EX5 and Hongqi-E-HS9. All are fully electric, with the exception of the JAECOO which has a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Other than the Hongqi, the other three models are sold in Malaysia (although the Geely EX5 is sold under the Proton e.MAS brand).

So just as the Japanese cars eventually got away from their ‘milo tin’ image in the 1960s, the Chinese cars are also going through the same progression of improvement and advancement.