New electric cars from China outperformed the CUPRA Raval in Euro NCAP tests
The European independent organization for evaluating new car safety (Euro NCAP) officially released the results of recent crash tests conducted under the new, significantly stricter 2026 protocols. The tests featured the potential European bestseller CUPRA Raval, along with three new electric hatchbacks from China: AION UT, Geely E2 (known as EX2 in some markets), and Leapmotor B05. The main takeaway from the session was the stunning success of the Asian brands, which outperformed their well-known European competitors in terms of preventive and physical protection.
All three new Chinese electric vehicles achieved the highest five-star safety rating on their first attempt. The mass-market hatchback Geely E2 demonstrated strong passenger protection, scoring well for its built-in Child Presence Detection system, although experts noted slight belt slip from the shoulder of a 10-year-old dummy. The newcomer Leapmotor B05 posted an impressive 92% score for adult protection, earning top marks for side impact performance and 100% for pedestrian pelvis and thigh safety. The family-oriented hatchback AION UT also achieved 91% in passive safety but lost points due to the absence of child presence sensors and excessive reliance on a touchscreen for critical controls.
The European sports electric supermini CUPRA Raval managed to score only 4 stars in its base standard configuration. The vehicle’s designers demonstrated high strength ratings for the cabin structure (91% in crash tests) and excellent performance from the front airbag, but it failed tests related to preventive electronics in intersection areas at low speeds. The European model can achieve the maximum 5 stars only by purchasing the optional Safety Pack, which significantly enhances the capabilities of the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system and lane-keeping systems.
Meanwhile, Euro NCAP has applied last year’s five-star ratings under the 2025 protocols to the new Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabrio convertible, and it has updated the rating for the Kia K4 sedan, which also secured 5 stars with its safety package.
AC Reference
The stringent tightening of Euro NCAP evaluation protocols faced by manufacturers forces engineers to completely rethink the algorithms used by radars and optical cameras. Now, achieving a higher score isn’t enough to simply brake in front of a static obstacle — the electronics must accurately detect cyclists and motorcyclists who suddenly cross the path during turns on complex urban intersections at night. The outstanding results of Chinese brands (AION, Geely, Leapmotor) reflect a new commercial strategy by these companies from China, which have nearly increased the number of models tested by Europeans by tenfold in recent years. Aware of European consumers’ skepticism toward the safety of Asian vehicles, Chinese designers incorporate expensive surround-view monitoring systems and advanced front airbags as standard features even in the initial design phase, whereas Europeans
Several manufacturers (including CUPRA, which belongs to the Volkswagen Group) are trying to maintain a low starting price by moving advanced safety assistants to paid optional packages.