The safest electric cars: what the top looks like

The new Kia EV6 and Volvo C40 Recharge electric cars are two of the safest cars on the road today, according to independent impact tests.

The Kia EV6 and Volvo C40 Recharge both receive five perfect stars out of five in the latest Euro NCAP impact tests, surpassing the latest generations of conventional-propelled Vauxhall Astra and Peugeot 308, both of which still score a decent four out of five.

Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class joins Kia and Volvo to get five out of five stars. Euro NCAP Class C, Astra and 308 ratings also apply to plug-in hybrid versions.

Kia EV6 – 5 stars

Kia now has an impressive range of electric cars, Kia EV6 followed by Kia Soul EV and Kia e-Niro.

Kia EV6 performed superbly on Euro NCAP impact tests, with an almost perfect score of 90% for car protection for adults – followed closely by scores of 86% and 87% for child protection and assistive technology, respectively. in safety.

It did not score as well for protecting vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists (64%), but it is still a good result.

Volvo C40 Recharge – 5 stars

The C40 Recharge electric car is a coupe version of the Volvo XC40 Recharge and it started in a flash in terms of safety.

For safety assistance technology, the C40 Recharge outperforms the other cars tested alongside it by 89%. In fact, the edge of the Kia EV6 in every main area, getting 92% for the protection of adults in the car and 89% for children. To protect vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, it scored a decent 70%.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 5 stars

The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class excels in Euro NCAP testing in all areas. Unlike the all-electric Kia EV6 and Volvo C40 Recharge, the C-Class is a lightweight hybrid.

The C-Class is equipped with an active bonnet, which means that the bumper sensors detect when a pedestrian has been hit and raise the bonnet to avoid impact with the harder structures of the car.

This helps Mercedes achieve a high of 80% for the protection of vulnerable road users, to match strong scores of 93% and 89% for the protection of adults and children, respectively, and 82% for safety assistance technology. .

Peugeot 308 – 4 stars

Although it cannot match the five-star performance of the above Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo cars, the Peugeot 308 has achieved good results in protecting adults (76%) and children (84%). For its safety assistance technology, it has obtained 65% and 68% to protect vulnerable road users.

308 offers a lot of accident prevention technology, but Euro NCAP noted that its AEB (emergency braking) system only worked “marginally” in avoiding impacts with other vehicles. AEB is designed to automatically apply the brakes to reduce the impact when the car detects that a collision is imminent.

Opel Astra – 4 stars

The Opel Astra and Peugeot 308 share the same basics, so it’s no surprise that they have the same not-so-perfect four-out-of-five score – though it’s a commendable performance nonetheless.

In two crash tests in which the Astra crashed into a full-width barrier and a barrier on one side, Euro NCAP found that there was only “marginal” chest protection for medium-sized drivers and young women. Euro NCAP also noted that neither the Astra nor the Peugeot 308 have a central airbag to protect people who slip over the car in the event of an impact from the opposite side.

Overall, Astra earned 80% for adult protection and 82% for children, 66% for safety assistance technology and 67% for the protection of vulnerable road users.