Chinese SUV named safest electric car in Europe in 2024

(Dan Tri) - This Chinese car model achieved the highest Euro NCAP safety score among electric cars tested, but still lost to German cars if you include cars with internal combustion engines.

Mẫu SUV Trung Quốc được ghi nhận là xe điện an toàn nhất năm 2024 ở châu Âu - 1 — The Zeekr X has the highest Euro NCAP safety score among electric cars and small SUVs tested in 2024 (Photo: Euro NCAP).

Chinese carmakers have been quietly climbing the ranks in recent years, most notably in the electric vehicle space. Over the past decade, Chinese cars have improved dramatically in quality, design, performance and safety, all leading to Chinese cars being ranked among the safest in their class by Euro NCAP in 2024.

Compact SUVs dominate the European market, so it's no surprise that this category accounted for 20 of the 44 models tested by Euro NCAP in 2024. Geely's Zeekr X not only scored higher than cars from established European brands, but also won the title of safest electric car of the year.

Specifically, the safety of Zeekr X is higher than competitors such as Deepal S07, Porsche Macan EV, Cupra Tavascan, MG HS, Toyota C-HR, Volvo EX30 and Xpeng G6.

Despite the strong performance of Chinese electric cars, the safest car overall (including internal combustion engines) was the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The latest version of the German mid-size sedan scored the highest safety score of the year, performing well in all four Euro NCAP categories.

These four categories include: Protection of adults in the car, protection of children in the car, protection of pedestrians and safety support features.

Here are the scores for the safest cars:

Mẫu SUV Trung Quốc được ghi nhận là xe điện an toàn nhất năm 2024 ở châu Âu - 2

In the large SUV segment, the Mazda CX-80 narrowly beat the Audi Q6 e-tron to take the top spot. Meanwhile, in the large family car segment, the Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb both took the lead. This is quite understandable because the two models share the same chassis platform.

Many people will wonder why some segments don’t have a top safety rating from Euro NCAP. In some cases, it’s because there aren’t enough cars in that segment. In other cases, it’s because some cars are “failed”, such as those that pose a risk in certain areas marked in red on the dummy.

As explained by Euro NCAP, in case of danger in the red marked area on the dummy, the car will only be rated a maximum of 4 stars.

Notably, the Chinese Maxus eTerron 9 is the first all-electric pickup truck to be safety tested by Euro NCAP. Although it did not receive the best rating in its segment, Euro NCAP rated its safety highly.