Euro NCAP published a new batch of ratings on 2 September 2026. Most coverage led with the same line — three Chinese models took five stars — which is true, and the less interesting half of it. The useful finding is which of the four pillars decided the results.
The scores
| Model | Rating | Safe Driving | Crash Avoidance | Crash Protection | Post-Crash Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geely E2 | 5 stars | 79% | 72% | 86% | 95% |
| GAC Aion UT | 5 stars | 66% | 74% | 91% | 88% |
| Leapmotor B05 | 5 stars | 66% | 77% | 92% | 89% |
| CUPRA Raval, base spec | 4 stars | 58% | 66% | 91% | 95% |
| CUPRA Raval, Safety Pack | 5 stars | 72% | 77% | 91% | 95% |
The Kia K4 followed the Raval's pattern — four stars standard, five with an option pack — and the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupé's Cabrio variant took five.
Crash protection is solved. The cabin is not.
Read the Crash Protection column downwards: 86% to 92%, a six-point spread across cars from three continents. Safe Driving runs from 58% to 79%, and it is the column that moved the Raval across the star boundary. The pack that did it — predictive adaptive cruise control plus front cross-traffic alert — lifted Safe Driving by 14 points and left Crash Protection untouched at 91%. In most European markets that pack is a country setting, and the Plus, Endurance and VZ versions clear five stars without it.
What Safe Driving scores
Part of the pillar is driver monitoring. The other part is where a car keeps its controls: under the 2026 protocol the indicators and hazard lights, the wipers, the horn and the SOS call must all be operable by direct physical input. Bury them in a nested touchscreen menu and the score falls.
- Geely E2 — "good use of physical controls for key driving commands and for the car's infotainment system", plus standard direct Child Presence Detection for extra marks. Best Safe Driving score of the round.
- GAC Aion UT — "relies too heavily on the centre screen for key driving controls". Speed-limit recognition accurate 68% of the time, and no Child Presence Detection.
- Leapmotor B05 — best Crash Protection of the set at 92%, but its comfort and infotainment controls "would benefit from greater use of physical switches".
Where Tesla stands
No Tesla has been rated under this protocol. The Model Y's five stars were published on 19 November 2025 under the previous scheme — Adult Occupant 91%, Child Occupant 93%, Vulnerable Road Users 86%, Safety Assist 92% — four categories with no equivalent of the Safe Driving pillar.
The pillar prices exactly the direction Tesla has taken its interiors, and the Cybercab is the clearest expression of it: manual driving controls entirely on the touchscreen, no steering wheel, no pedals, no switches. That car will not be rated in Europe. But when a European Tesla next is, Safe Driving is the first number to read.
What this means for European buyers
Chinese-built cars were 7% of EU new-car sales and nearly 10% of UK sales last year on Euro NCAP's own figures, and all three five-star cars here are aimed at European showrooms. "By actively embracing Euro NCAP's rigorous targets particularly this year, carmakers are showing they want to deliver safer vehicles for everyone on Europe's roads," said Dr Aled Williams, the programme's director.
The practical consequence is that a five-star badge from 2025 and one from 2026 are not the same claim. Everything rated before this year — the current Tesla range included — was scored without the Safe Driving pillar, so two cars can both advertise five stars while only one has been assessed on where it keeps its wiper switch.
The safety argument against Chinese EVs gets harder each round. The argument about screens now has a number attached.