LEUVEN, BELGIUM – Euro NCAP is making major changes to how it evaluates the safety of new cars to better represent modern driving conditions and address the road hazards faced by today’s drivers, passengers and other road users.
The update, the largest revision since the introduction of the overall rating system in 2009, will go into effect in 2026. It features an overhaul of vehicle testing and scoring procedures, along with a new rating methodology built around four key stages of safety: safe driving, crash avoidance, crash protection, and post-crash safety. The new approach, drawing on the principles of the Haddon Matrix, tests safety technologies by stage, yet also enables evaluation of those solutions that operate across multiple stages. These transformational updates to the rating system deliver enhanced structure, clarity, and flexibility as safety technologies grow increasingly complex and interconnected. The test protocols will consequently be updated every three years.
Several changes to Euro NCAP’s testing programme have been made in response to consumer feedback. Driver assistance systems, which have faced criticism for annoying warnings or intrusive interventions, will be evaluated not only on their crash-prevention abilities on the test track, but also during real-world driving, with the aim of improving consumer acceptance.
New, expanded test scenarios are introduced to improve the robustness of crash-prevention systems, particularly in conditions that are more representative of real-world environments.
Crash-protection evaluations will expand to include a broader spectrum of occupant body sizes, from children to shorter and taller adults, using full-scale crash tests, laboratory sled tests and advanced virtual simulations to enhance accuracy and promote more adaptive restraint systems.
New post-crash requirements will require electrically powered exterior door handles to stay functional for easier rescue and mandate proper high-voltage battery isolation in electric vehicles, among other updates to help first responders.
Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, says the updated protocols ensure cutting-edge safety technology is deployed where it matters most — saving lives and preventing serious injuries on Europe’s roads.
Every three years, we re-examine our star rating criteria with the simple aim of reducing vehicle-related deaths and serious injuries.The 2026 protocols further strengthen the rigour and relevance of our tests, rewarding vehicles that perform well across all stages of safety – before, during, and after a crash.
The updates to protocols ensure that Euro NCAP’s testing, analysis, and ratings remain the definitive guide for consumers who value an impartial guide to the safety of the latest cars.
Euro NCAP continues to advance safety standards across all aspects of vehicle design, and the 2026 protocols embody this commitment by encouraging manufacturers to adopt and enhance life-saving technologies. The intended outcome is improved protection for vehicle occupants and all road users through more effective driver assistance, robust accident prevention, enhanced crash protection, and improved post-crash management.
Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General Euro NCAP
2026 protocols at a glance
From 2026, Euro NCAP’s assessments will be structured around four Stages of Safety, each scored out of 100 points and expressed as a percentage. Minimum thresholds continue to apply for each stage and will determine the overall star rating.
The Stages of Safety are:
- Safe Driving – Considers the vehicle technologies and features that assist in providing a safer driving experience for the driver and vehicle occupants.
- Crash Avoidance – Assesses the crash avoidance systems that help prevent or mitigate critical incidents through warnings or autonomous intervention.
- Crash Protection – Evaluates the performance of traditional crash protection elements, including vehicle structure, seatbelts, airbags, and head restraints to mitigate injuries to vehicle occupants, pedestrians, and cyclists.
- Post-Crash Safety – Addresses the ‘golden hour’ of emergency response through post-crash rescue information and assistance systems.
Stage One: Safe Driving
Euro NCAP will place greater emphasis on driver monitoring technologies that maintain attention and engagement behind the wheel, focussing on improved system reliability and user acceptance. Points will be awarded for advanced systems that monitor driver performance in real time.
To achieve the highest ratings, vehicles must not only employ continuous eye- and head-tracking but also link driver state information to the sensitivity of driver assistance systems. Additional credit will be given to technologies that can identify signs of drug or alcohol impairment and those capable of safely bringing the vehicle to a halt if the driver becomes unresponsive.
New assessments of the human–machine interface (HMI) are introduced, evaluating the placement, clarity, and ease of use of essential controls — including the availability of physical buttons for commonly used functions, which consumer feedback suggests can reduce distraction.
Vehicles able to detect whether seatbelts are being worn correctly – and optimise restraint and airbag systems for different driver and passenger physiques – will earn higher scores.
For the first time, verification of speed-limit information accuracy will be conducted during on-road driving tests.
Stage Two: Crash Avoidance
The updated protocols introduce a more rigorous approach to crash-prevention system testing, covering technologies such as Autonomous Emergency Braking and Lane Support systems. Drawing on long-term test experience, Euro NCAP will expand the scenarios to reflect real-world accident patterns, including urban situations where vehicles routinely encounter powered two wheelers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Smoothness and intuitiveness of operation in everyday driving, in particular for lane support systems, will now contribute to scoring, addressing consumer concerns about intrusive or unpredictable interventions.
Cars capable of recognising and reducing the risks of pedal misapplication (accidentally pressing the accelerator instead of the brake) will also be rewarded. This will be assessed as part of the new ‘Low Speed Collisions’ tests that also include Cyclist Dooring.
Stage Three: Crash Protection
Euro NCAP will continue to enhance its well-established crash-testing programme with a renewed focus on passive protection. From 2026, frontal crash testing will consider a wider range of driver and passenger body types, including older occupants and children, supported by sled testing and advanced virtual simulations. Evaluation of side impact protection will include near-side barrier, pole, and far-side sled testing, also supported by advanced virtual simulations. There will be increased scrutiny of pedestrian-injury risk – particularly in structural areas around the windscreen.
Stage Four: Post-Crash Safety
New post-crash requirements include ensuring that electrically powered exterior door handles remain operable after an impact, enabling easier access to first responders. Electric vehicles must also correctly manage the isolation of their high-voltage battery.
Automated emergency notifications will need to provide details on the number of occupants in the vehicle, requiring reliable detection even when seatbelts are not fastened. These changes aim to support faster, more accurate emergency response following a collision.
With the rise of electric vehicles, cars must be able to communicate battery-fire risk to the driver after a crash and issue a warning in a timely manner, if a battery fire begins during charging or after a crash.
Editor’s note
A live testing and media event will be held from 17 – 18 March 2026 to demonstrate these new protocols. Please contact media@euroncap.com for further information.
For full results, visit www.euroncap.com or Euro NCAP’s newsroom for journalists.
For media information, please contact Cordelia Wilson at media@euroncap.com.
