What is the European car safety rating program called?

The European car safety rating program is called Euro NCAP, short for the European New Car Assessment Programme. It provides independent consumer-focused assessments of how well new cars protect occupants and other road users.

Euro NCAP was formed in 1996, and its first results were released in February 1997. The program began with support from the United Kingdom’s Transport Research Laboratory and later gained backing from European governments and European institutions. Its crash tests generally impose stronger or more demanding performance expectations than the legal minimum required for a vehicle to be sold.

Cars receive an overall star rating, from zero to five, based on several areas: adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, vulnerable road-user protection, and safety-assistance technology. Test protocols have changed over time as features such as electronic stability control, autonomous emergency braking, cyclist detection, and driver-monitoring systems became more important.

Euro NCAP is voluntary and is not the same as Europe’s type-approval process. ANCAP is the comparable program for Australia and New Zealand, while NHTSA and IIHS are prominent U.S. safety organizations.