Ahead of the 2030 ban on new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) sales in Europe, Nissan Qashqai and Mercedes-EQ, have been recognized among Five Safest Cars Of 2021
Thatcham Research made the revelation in a report released on Monday.
According to the report, Nissan’s popular Qashqai, EQS from Mercedes-EQ as well as the all-electric Enyaq by Škoda, Volvo-derived Polestar 2 and the hybrid-electric Toyota Yaris Cross made a positive impact during the year under review.
Expert judges were said to have favoured affordable vehicles that will bring the biggest safety benefits to the greatest number of drivers.
“Of particular importance,” the report revealed, “were robust ‘active’ crash-avoidance systems, effective ‘passive’ occupant protection features, well-delivered driver interface technology, and a commitment to standard fitment across the range.”
The top-selling Qashqai, for instance, is one of the best-ever performing cars in Euro NCAP tests, achieving more than 90% in three out of four safety categories.
Applauded for its Reverse Automatic Braking, Lane Support and Emergency Lane Keeping functions, the Qashqai’s popularity and price point offset the current absence of all-electric or hybrid versions from its range.
Judged by its top safety record, Qashqai was tipped to make a big impact on road safety due to its mass-market appeal and Nissan’s commitment to rolling out safety features across its range.
According to Matthew Avery, Chief Research Strategy Officer, Thatcham Research, awarding the highest safety rating for Qashqai was a difficult choice and so sparked long debate among the judges, because it is powered by ICE (Internal Combustion Engine).
He said: “It’s one of the best vehicles we’ve tested in terms of safety scores across the board. And when you add in the price point, along with the fact it’s produced in the UK, we feel it really deserves its place. It’s also an established and popular family car, which can’t yet be said of typically more expensive EV models.”
During the test, the car scored 91% for both Adult occupant protection and Child occupant, protection, 70% for Vulnerable road user protection and 95% for Safety Assist.
Another car that attracted the interest of safety researchers is the Mercedes-EQ Electric, which scored some of the best Euro NCAP test results of the year, impressing judges with its improved Safety Assist technology and occupant protection, including a centre console-mounted airbag to contain occupants during side impacts.
Matthew Avery described the car as an extremely safe vehicle, which achieved impressive Euro NCAP test scores.
“As you would expect from Mercedes-Benz,” he pointed out, “the EQS is a great safety performer with its Adult Occupant Protection score of 96% and its Child Occupant Protection score of 91% being the joint highest in those categories during testing.
Also categorized with the five safest cars during the year is Toyota Yaris Cross, which was commended for its encouraging overall performance in safety tests and its affordability.
Judges felt the car’s popularity will help democratize safety technology, allowing many motorists to access and benefit from recent innovations.
In Matthew Avery’s view, Other cars performed similarly well in testing but few, if any, came in anywhere near the Yaris Cross’s low-entry price.
“It’s reassuring to see Toyota is demonstrating that lower-cost models can still offer high-end safety systems and that a focus on overall price need not be at the expense of driver safety,” he added.
Škoda Enyaq EV, an entry-level compact crossover SUV also made the five safest cars club membership. It scored well in frontal-offset testing, with the car engineered to minimize damage to other vehicles in a collision, and its Adult Occupant Protection score of 94% was the second-highest of all the cars tested. Škoda is planning improvements to Enyaq’s Lane Assistance technology, which judges felt was a little ‘over-zealous’.
Matthew Avery described Škoda’s Enyaq as a family car with lots of room which was only bettered in safety performance by much more expensive vehicles.
“It’s satisfying to see the Enyaq feature in our top five safest cars list, as it represents the future of all-electric motoring and will account for many sales in the EV crossover segment. The VW Group clearly hasn’t compromised safety in the transition to electric propulsion,” he said.
Polestar 2 EV, first model from the new electric-car brand to be tested against Euro NCAP protocols is the fifth of the five-member safest vehicles. The car which comes with all the safety features you would expect from a Volvo-derived full EV, was commended for its impressive passive safety performance, due to its excellent body structure and very effective restraint systems.
Matthew Avery says: “Scoring highly across all categories the Polestar 2 is a vehicle fit for the future, with Over-The-Air updates offering potentially improved performance over the car’s lifetime. It also boasts very good lane support functions, which are threat sensitive and don’t nag the driver. As a new brand, Polestar should be applauded for keeping safety so high on the agenda.”
Commenting on the findings, Avery said “It’s fantastic to see carmakers continuing to priorities safety, with all but four vehicles tested by Euro NCAP in 2021 achieving a four or five-star rating. Most are rising to the safety challenge and it’s encouraging to note EVs are performing very well as a group too.
“As well as the development of active safety technology to help avoid crashes and protect vulnerable road users, we also welcome the continued introduction of passive safety innovations such as center-airbags, which prevent occupants from colliding with one another during side impacts.”
The expert panel of judges who selected 2021’s safest cars includes: Thatcham Research’s Matthew Avery; Claire Evans, What Car? Consumer Editor; Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary-General; and Loughborough University’s Pete Thomas, Emeritus Professor in Road and Vehicle Safety.
The selected five, we gathered, will form the shortlist for 2022 What Car? Safety Award, sponsored by Thatcham Research, overall winner and two runners-up of which will be revealed on 20 January.
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