The passive and active safety performance of three new models have been assessed in the central rating, with the BYD Dolphin, BYD Seal and XPeng P7 achieving five-star awards.

“It was especially positive to see these cars, all manufactured by new market entrants, scoring highly in the Vulnerable Road User category,” said Alex Thompson. “Testing protocols were updated for 2023 that further encourage the protection of vulnerable road users, including the latest crash prevention systems that can detect motorcyclists. With vulnerable road users comprising around half of those killed and seriously injured annually on UK roads, there’s a clear opportunity for technology to play a key role in bringing these numbers down.”

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Mercedes-EQ EQE SUV were awarded ‘very good’ ratings in Euro NCAP’s separate assisted driving gradings.

The gradings consider ‘L2’ driver assistance systems, dividing assessments into two main areas: Assistance Competence, based on the balance between Driver Engagement and Vehicle Assistance, and Safety Backup.

Tom Leggett comments: “Mercedes-Benz has produced another highly rated driver assistance system. It’s ‘very good’ award is the product of a balanced system that promotes collaboration with the driver, from how the car responds when steering inputs are required to Mercedes-Benz’s naming convention making clear that this is assisted, not self-driving, technology.”

Click the link to read more from Euro NCAP: Euro NCAP Newsroom : Chinese Manufacturers Create Waves in the European Market (newsmarket.com)