2026 car safety update: how testing is changing to make cars safer

Normally, the last place a human being would want to be is in a vehicle that's being put through a Euro NCAP safety test. But that's where we find ourselves today: in the back seat of a Volvo EX90 as a significant new assessment method is being demonstrated. Thankfully, there's no crash testing, no dummies (aside from us, perhaps) and no test track. Instead, it's an on-road appraisal of the accuracy and helpfulness of the speed limit alerts given to the driver by the car over the course of a journey.

This might sound dull compared with cars being hurled at crash test barriers, but the speed limit assistance system test is part of the most radical shake-up of the testing procedure and rating system in the safety organisation's 30-year history. It's the first of a number of road-based assessments that are being incorporated into the testing regime to gauge and grade new cars' advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

The intention is to put a greater emphasis on holistic safety that doesn't just concentrate on crash testing, but also measures the effectiveness of safety technology and considers how well it interacts with people both inside and outside the car.

The test we're witnessing aims to address a real-world issue with most new cars: the continual, annoying and sometimes unjustified bonging and flashing of speed limit warning systems. This has been a bugbear for many drivers since this technology became mandatory on new cars in 2024.

Although our EX90 covered a distance of only 35 miles in this demonstration, when the first official tests are done, every vehicle will have to cover a minimum of 2000km, or 1243 miles. This is expected to take five days, covering all sorts of roads, from narrow city streets to motorways in several countries.

Like our car, they will be fitted with a suite of sensors: LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and cameras. One camera is focused on the instrument cluster to record the speed limit being displayed, and another points forwards in front of the car to capture speed limit information from the road ahead. This is backed up by map data from a global navigation satellite system and a global positioning system (GPS) with 2cm accuracy, so the testers know exactly where the car is at all times and what the prevailing speed limit is.

During the test, the vehicle is monitored continuously, and every correct and inaccurate piece of information supplied by its speed assistance system is logged. At the end of the drive, the data is used to create a rating. Only vehicles that gain a score of 80% or more for correctly identifying speed limit changes and providing the correct speed limit (with a 10% tolerance) can achieve the top, five-star overall Euro NCAP rating.

Our EX90 was one of five models taking part in the demonstration; the others were a Kia EV3, Mazda CX-80, Toyota bZ4X and Volkswagen ID 7. Our ride was fairly uneventful; the car correctly identified speed limit changes 76% of the time and showed the correct speed limit for 80% of the drive, resulting in an overall score of 78%.

However, its score was the lowest of the bunch. The EV3 was the most accurate, scoring 92% overall, followed by the CX-80 (87%). The EV3 was best at picking up speed limit changes (87% accuracy) and the CX-80 was best at providing the correct limit during the drive (98%).

Overall, all five models gained high enough scores to pass the test, although it's important to remember that our route was far shorter than the official test, and Euro NCAP emphasised that "the data from it is not representative of each vehicle's 'real' performance and does not contribute to any results Euro NCAP might deliver publicly".

Driving the EX90 was Adriano Palao, Euro NCAP's technical manager for ADAS and the lead technician behind the introduction of the new test. As we proceeded, he explained why on-road testing has been introduced.

"We want to put ourselves in the shoes of consumers," he said. "Our goal is to inform them about the level of safety that cars are offering, and we could no longer ignore the problem of driver frustration [with ADAS]. So, instead of just asking each car manufacturer 'How accurate is your system?' and believing it, we're now measuring and computing it."

Making a speed limit alert system accurate isn't an easy task, though, because the infrastructure across Europe is varied and complex. Traffic signs don't all look the same, and countries have different rules. For example, motorway speed limits can vary in some countries depending on the weather, and others have very low limits for residential areas.

With that in mind, the speed assistance system test route must include a minimum of three countries, chosen at random from the nine that are part of the Euro NCAP test regime. This way, car makers can't simply optimise their systems for one or two specific countries.

By introducing such a thorough test for speed assistance systems, Palao's ambition is that Euro NCAP will provide a benchmark of accuracy to which all car makers can aspire. He believes that if car makers can make these alerts less annoying - so that drivers don't simply turn the systems off when they get into their cars - it will have a significant contribution to road safety. The importance of adhering to speed limits is borne out by accident statistics: speed was a road safety factor in 59% of all road deaths in 2024, according to road safety charity Brake.

As we finished our drive, Palao emphasised that although Euro NCAP is addressing some of the shortcomings in speed limit alert systems, it can't do anything about the audible warnings that accompany the visual ones. These are the result of an EU directive, which he, like many motorists, doesn't believe is beneficial.

What’s the next step in the new test regime? 

Following the introduction of the on-road speed limit alert assessment, Euro NCAP is researching the best ways to conduct real-world tests for lane-keeping assistance and driver monitoring systems.

The EX90 we rode in for the speed limit demonstration was fitted with three cameras and an accelerometer to monitor its lane-keeping system. The cameras captured road markings to show its position on the road, and the accelerometer measured lateral and longitudinal acceleration to give a correlation between the subjective impressions of the driver and the forces that are applied when the lane support system issues a steering correction. The plan is to use this equipment to gain an insight into the best test protocols so this test can be added to the new car rating system from 2029.

Likewise, Euro NCAP is aiming to introduce on-road driver monitoring system tests in three years' time, potentially by technicians wearing eye-movement tracking glasses. False warnings will be measured and points awarded to systems that monitor driver behaviour in real time using continuous eye and head tracking. Scores from this area will be added to the marks already given to technologies that can identify signs of drug or alcohol impairment.

Adaptive cruise control is another driver aid that will get closer scrutiny in the future. "One big issue here is phantom braking," said Palao. "This is when the car detects something that isn't a danger, but reacts by slamming the brakes on. We'll use LiDAR to monitor the road around the car so we can see if it performs any false braking manoeuvres. These findings will be shared with car makers to understand why they happen and how they can be prevented."

In addition, Euro NCAP aims to enhance the testing already implemented to address the issue of driver distraction caused by poorly designed dashboard controls. Cars with too many controls hidden in sub-menus on infotainment screens, rather than having physical buttons for frequently used functions, will be given lower ratings.

With six out of every 10 new vehicles sold in Europe now SUVs, and a growing number of them electric vehicles (EVs), the average car is getting bigger and heavier, and crash tests need to adapt to take this into account. We watched a trial crash in which a Zeekr x EV struck a 1550kg barrier (the current barrier weight is 1400kg), with a 50% overlap, while both were travelling at 31mph. This is one option being considered to ensure the testing procedure remains up to date.

The new Euro NCAP rating system explained

In revamping its new car safety rating system, Euro NCAP has replaced the four previous test areas (adult and child occupant protection, vulnerable road users and active safety) with what it describes as the four stages of safety: safe driving, crash avoidance, crash protection and post-crash.

One reason for the regrouping of the tests is that it has been too easy for cars to achieve five-star Euro NCAP ratings in the past. However, the organisation's director of strategic development, Matthew Avery, said this will be harder under the new system. To be awarded a top rating, cars will have to perform well in all four stages, including those that assess the driver aids that are designed to prevent accidents from happening in the first place.

1. Safe driving

Testing here concentrates on the driver assistance systems that are fitted to new cars to see how well they help the driver stay focused and in control. Test areas include driver attention monitors and aids that should help if the driver is tired, distracted or, in a worst case scenario, unresponsive.

In addition, adaptive cruise control is assessed to see how well it helps a car to maintain a safe distance from other vehicles. The testing procedure goes on to look at the accuracy of speed limit assistance systems, as well as how inclined automatic emergency braking, lane support and automatic emergency steering systems are to intervene in normal driving and less dangerous situations.

2. Crash avoidance

This area rates each model's performance in dangerous situations when a crash seems inevitable, looking at how well its advanced driver assistance systems and automatic emergency braking intervene to either prevent or lessen the impact. Testing of these systems has been given more prominence because of the importance of active safety in helping to avoid collisions.

"Prevention is better than a cure," said Avery. "Active safety systems are also crucial for lowering the speed of a collision, so all of the car's passive safety systems do a better job. Reducing the energy of a collision is a fantastic way of saving people's lives."

3. Crash protection

This is the traditional area focused on by Euro NCAP that involves four major front and side impact crash tests, plus a number of evaluations of impacts on vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

After 26 years of using the same, albeit regularly improved, crash test dummies, Euro NCAP has introduced new, more realistic and sophisticated ones - a big investment when you consider that each dummy costs around £1 million.

A 50% frontal offset crash at 31mph puts 30-40 g of force on a person's body, but adults can withstand up to 80 g. The latest adult dummies have 100 sensors on them to measure the forces they're subjected to in a crash. A Siemens Business NCAP works with crash test labs in Australia, China and Europe.

There are two adult dummies: a 50th percentile (average-sized) male, to be used in the driver's seat for certain tests, and a smaller female that will be positioned in the front passenger seat.

Each of these dummies has 100 sensors on it to provide information on injuries sustained in a crash. Together with the latest child dummies (representing a 10-year-old and a six-year-old), they provide 300 pieces of information during the half- second duration of a crash test.

There have been some changes to post- crash test protocols for EVs. The main one is that a fire service representative must always be present during a crash test.

Their main job is to check that there is no fire risk, either from leaks from or intrusion into the casing of the battery, and that no areas of the car have become live and the high-voltage system has been disabled. A 20-minute wait time is now specified before engineers are allowed to approach the car, to ensure there is no fire risk.

4. Post-crash

This examines how well cars perform both in the milliseconds after a crash happens and in the ‘golden hour' that follows when lives are most likely to be saved by the emergency services. Ratings are given for how well the car's seatbelts and airbags protect occupants, and for a range of post- crash functions, from whether the brakes are applied automatically and the hazard lights are activated, to what information is made available to the emergency services about the people inside the car.

Details examined include how well electrically operated door handles function after an impact; crash damage should not prevent the doors from being opened. With electric vehicles (EVs), there are additional safety checks, including how well a car's high-voltage battery is protected in a crash and whether there is any fire risk. All EVs should also have a high-voltage safety cut-off switch that's easy for the emergency services to find so they can turn off the power.

How in-car monitors can improve safety 

Many drivers consider driver attention monitors an unnecessary annoyance, especially if they issue warnings when the driver isn't distracted. However, some car makers and technology companies such as Sony are using in-car cameras to improve occupant safety in other ways.

Volvo is the first car maker to use these cameras to gather real-time information about the car's occupants to better protect them in an accident.

The new Volvo EX60 electric SUV is the first production model to be fitted with 'multi-adaptive' seatbelts for the driver and front passenger. They use data from the driver attention monitor and sensors on the seatbelts to assess the height, weight, body shape and seating position of occupants.

The belts have 11 settings instead of the usual three, and the most appropriate of these can be selected in the event of a collision; adult males, for example, will get stronger seatbelt tightening than children and older people.

Volvo says the technology will be upgraded over time and more belt settings will be added. Its first system uses only the driver monitoring camera to view the front seats, but other models could be fitted with a second camera to view passengers in the back seats.

Although no other current models are equipped with this technology yet, Mercedes-Benz has confirmed it is "working on the classification of people using in-car cameras for the near future."

Read more: Driver monitoring systems rated

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