China’s BYD receives five-star Euro NCAP safety rating

Chinese EV maker BYD vehicle, the electric Atto 3 crossover receives a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. The rating comes as the automaker is focused on gaining a foothold in Europe’s competitive car market. The rating from European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) does not determine whether the vehicle can be driven on roads. However, the NCAP safety tests can add to the consumer’s attention, making it good ratings.

The Chinese automaker is aiming to establish a foothold in Europe and has disclosed tentative prices for three full-electric vehicles that will be delivered in six European countries. The Atto 3 will be sold for 38,000 euros ($36,480), while two midsize models, the Tang crossover and the Han sedan, have been priced at 72,000 euros. Earlier, German car rental company Sixt said it has committed to buying about 100,000 EVs from BYD in the coming years. Recently, BYD launched the Atto 3 in India, which sells in China as the Yuan Plus.

Last month, Chinese rival Great Wall Motor received five-star ratings for its Coffee 01 hybrid SUV from its WEY brand, and for its Funky Cat electric sedan from the ORA brand. Mercedes-Benz’s EQE electric sedan was among other vehicles receiving a five-star rating on Wednesday. The vehicle’s driver assistance system – including one that moves the car to the slowest lane on a highway and brings it to a halt if the driver becomes unresponsive – made it the highest-scoring car so far for assisted-driving functions, Euro NCAP said.

Scoring tests

In the safety assistance segment, the EV scored 74 percent. The five-door electric SUV comes equipped with safety features such as seven airbags in the top-sec trim. It also gets Level 2 ADAS features, making it one of the safest electric SUVs, claims the Chinese automaker. Euro NCAP crash tests the left-hand drive (LHD) version of the car, but the rating applies to the right-hand drive (RHD) model as well. The test has revealed that the BYD Atto 3 electric SUV remained stable during the frontal offset test. The dummy passengers at the front demonstrated a good amount of protection for their knees and femurs as well. The test result concludes that the BYD Atto 3 would have a moderate beginning impact during a frontal collision.

During the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of all critical body areas was good or at least adequate, concludes the test report. In the side barrier test, protection of all critical body areas was tested as good, resulting in the car scoring maximum points.