The Kia EV4 and Mazda 6e excel in Green NCAP’s environmental test.

Image: Kia

Green NCAP evaluated several electric, hybrid, gasoline, and diesel models based on their environmental impact. Among the electric vehicles, the Kia EV4 Earth with an 81.4-kWh battery achieved the best score: five stars and 90 percent. The electric Mazda 6e 258 Takumi received four and a half stars and 85 percent.

For the Kia EV4, the evaluation took into account factors such as production in Slovakia, with assumptions made for European manufacturing. The resulting lifetime climate impact is 119 g of CO2 equivalent per kilometer. Green NCAP also highlighted its aerodynamic design, energy efficiency, and stable real-world range even in cold conditions.

The EV4 offers both manual and automatic battery pre-conditioning for charging. During DC fast charging, the power starts at up to 130 kW and is reduced toward the end of the charging process to protect the battery. Additionally, it supports bidirectional charging.

The all-electric Mazda 6e is manufactured in China at the Changan Mazda joint venture on Changan’s EPA1 platform. Its overall score of 85 percent was limited by the impacts of production and distribution. Green NCAP also highlights its aerodynamic body, efficient drive system, consistent energy consumption across different temperatures, solid real-world range, and very good interior heating in cold conditions compared to other electric vehicles.

The Renault Symbioz E-Tech Full Hybrid 160 received three and a half stars and 64 percent. In the warm laboratory test, fuel consumption was 4.2 l/100 km, while cold start tests at minus 7 degrees recorded 7.4 l/100 km, and fast highway driving showed 6.8 l/100 km. In frosty conditions, the combustion engine of the hybrid system often has to run to heat the interior due to the lack of a high-voltage heater. It took up to 20 minutes to achieve 16 degrees in the footwell and back seat.

Among pure internal combustion engines, the Renault Clio TCe 115 Techno with a gasoline engine got three and a half stars and 62 percent. The MG MG3 scored 51 percent, the diesel-powered VW Tiguan achieved 48 percent, and the non-hybrid Kia K4 received 46 percent.

Aleksandar Damyanov from Green NCAP: “While our latest assessments highlight the sustainability advantages that well-designed electric vehicles can offer, the Renault Clio TCe 115 Techno shows that manufacturers can also make significant improvements even in affordable combustion engine vehicles, which still account for a large portion of today’s market.”

Also interesting

About the author

Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with experience in the automotive and financial industries. Since 2011, he has been covering electric cars, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.

Reader interactions