- BMW’s new iX3 electric SUV passed Euro NCAP’s most stringent safety tests with flying colors.
- The German EV was one of the first cars to be tested under the safety body’s revised assessment standard.
- The Zeekr 7GT also got the highly coveted five-star safety rating.
The latest-generation BMW iX3 electric SUV passed Euro NCAP’s more stringent safety tests with flying colors, getting a five-star rating. The iX3, along with Zeekr’s 7GT wagon, was the first car tested by the European safety body under the new assessment standard, which was introduced this year.
The new protocol is based on the timeline of a crash, starting with the “Safe Driving” category, which is followed by “Crash Avoidance,” “Crash Protection,” and “Post Crash Safety.” Previously, Euro NCAP rated the protection of the vehicle’s occupants and vulnerable road users, as well as the vehicle’s safety assistance systems.
In the first category, which includes things like occupant detection, driver monitoring, and vehicle assistance systems, the BMW iX3 got a 73% rating. The German EV got 83% for crash avoidance, which measures the reliability and safety of systems like lane departure assist and automatic braking.
In the crash protection category, which is regarded by many as being the most important, the iX3 got 86% out of 100%, with the safety non-profit noting that the EV offered “good or adequate protection for all occupants in the frontal offset test.”
The iX3 scored full points in the side impact tests, including the far-side. The protection of vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians was a little more varied, with few areas where good protection was provided to the head or pelvis.
On the post-crash side of things, where Euro NCAP looks at how the car behaves after impact, the iX3 scored a near-perfect 95%. The safety experts said that the third-party service eCall function is available, but not in all countries covered by Euro NCAP. The electrically-operated door handles worked flawlessly, and the mechanical fallback was confirmed during testing.
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Source: Euro NCAP
Things get a little more interesting when looking at this testing session’s other first-timer. The Zeekr 7GT, which is not sold in the United States, outscored the German SUV in three out of four categories, with the fourth category being a tie. The Chinese-made wagon got 79% for “Safe Driving,” 89% for “Crash Avoidance,” 93% for “Crash Protection,” and 95% for “Post Crash Safety.”
Due to its Chinese roots, the Zeekr is unlikely to reach American shores anytime soon, so its safety rating doesn’t mean much for car buyers on this side of the ocean. Meanwhile, the BMW iX3 is expected to land in the U.S. later this year.
