Thoughts on NCAP crash test

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GonzoTho

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I was looking at how the safety ratings are done and there seems to be a glaring hole in the way cars are rated for safety according to the euro NCAP test. It seems the test are done by crashing a car into a stationary immovable barrier. The barrier is designed "to simulate an impact with a car of similar mass and structure".

So actually, the rating only measures how safe a car is relative to other cars of the same size and you could be driving a car that is rated 5 stars on an NCAP crash test but is in actual fact not very safe when compared other (heavier) vehichles.
 
I'm not sure what it is called but I know there is another test which has been developed because it was felt that the standard test arent sufficient/appropriate. I'll try and find it and post it

EDIT: Ok, went and read again - my memory is going. They changed the way they test and rate NCAP around 2009 and added additional test.
 
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Flawed or not, it's the only measure that we have to actually see whether one car is safer than another.
 
GonzoTho said:
I was looking at how the safety ratings are done and there seems to be a glaring hole in the way cars are rated for safety according to the euro NCAP test. It seems the test are done by crashing a car into a stationary immovable barrier. The barrier is designed "to simulate an impact with a car of similar mass and structure".

So actually, the rating only measures how safe a car is relative to other cars of the same size and you could be driving a car that is rated 5 stars on an NCAP crash test but is in actual fact not very safe when compared other (heavier) vehichles.
Click to expand...

That's correct. You'll lose 5 star or not if the car you hit is 'bigger'

Newer bigger cars like SUVs/MPVs have been designed so that their bumpers are on the same level/height as a smaller car to prevent running over the top of them and into your head.
 
And also, emphasis has been put on pedestrian safety in accidents involving them.
 
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