2018 Volvo XC60 gets the Euro NCAP’s best ratings for 2017

Last year was probably one of the busiest years for the European New Car Assessment Programme, with a total of around 70 cars tested. But amongst that huge pack of vehicles, one model managed to really stand out, and this was the second-generation Volvo XC60. After going through all those cars, the European NCAP made a decision that this is the safest car overall.

Ever since, Volvo has had a good reputation when it comes to car safety, and that is why we are not surprised that the new XC60 got the highest score during the tests. It scored 98% for the Adult Occupant category, and for Safety Assist, it got 95%, which still is pretty impressive as most cars do not ever get a score that high.

Malin Ekholm, Vice President of Volvo Cars Safety Center, promised that no one should ever get seriously injured or killed ever riding a Volvo car by the beginning of next decade. And based on the results we just saw, it seems like the automaker is right on track with fulfilling this promise.

After getting rated, it was officially announced that Volvo is the first automaker to claim top spot in Euro NCAP’s three Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) tests. This includes city, inter-urban, and pedestrian. Models like the S90, XC60 and the V90 all got perfect scores in this category. However, the duo’s scores were not as high as the XC60, with a 95% rating in the Adult Occupant category, and 93% in the Safety Assist category.

Apart from the list of safest cars, the European New Car Assessment Programme also published a list of the Best in Class Cars of 2017. Without any surprise, one of these cars was again Volvo’s XC60, being the superstar of that list. Alongside it were models like the Volkswagen Polo, T-Roc, and Arteon, while Subaru also made it with its Impreza and XV, together with the Opel/Vauxhall Crossland X.

It wasn’t only five-star cars that made the news for 2017. So while people applauded cars such as the Stinger, F-Pace, Yaris, Kona, and 6 Series GT, the Euro NCAP also rated their very first zero-star car, the Fiat Punto from 2005. Back then, it received five stars, but since the tests have become more stringent nowadays, and the Fiat was not able to cope with the changes, ascit had not been renewed for 12 years, it lost all five stars. Well, just like anything else, cars will also have to keep up with what’s new or you will definitely be left behind. This is a lesson for every automaker to keep in mind.

PRESS RELEASE

Volvo XC60 is 2017’s overall safest car in Euro NCAP testing

Volvo Cars’ XC60 has been crowned the best performing large off-roader, and the car with the best overall performance of 2017 in the prestigious Euro NCAP 2017 Best in Class safety awards.

The XC60 scored a near-perfect 98 per cent in the Adult Occupant category and in its Large Off-Road class, showed a clear advantage in Safety Assist with a score of 95 per cent – 20 percentage points higher than the nearest Large Off-Road competitor – underlining Volvo Cars’ position as a leader in automotive safety.

“The new XC60 is one of the safest Volvo cars ever made,” said Malin Ekholm, Vice President, Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “It is fully loaded with new technology designed to assist drivers, to help protect vehicle occupants and other road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, plus mitigate collision risks. We are proud that our ongoing commitment to innovating new safety features has been recognised with another Euro NCAP Best in Class award for Volvo Cars.”

The Euro NCAP award for the XC60 follows in the tracks of Volvo Cars’ XC90, which in 2015 was also named the best performing large off-roader, and the car with the best overall performance that year. Volvo Cars’ V40 is another previous Euro NCAP winner, in the Small Family class.

“Our vision is that by 2020 no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car,” said Malin Ekholm. “The achievements of the XC60 are examples of our commitment to developing the latest safety and support systems as we strive towards that vision.”

The XC60 also joins the S90 and V90 in making history for Volvo Cars as the first manufacturer to hold all top three car rankings in Euro NCAP’s Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) tests – AEB City, AEB Inter-Urban and AEB Pedestrian. The three Volvo cars are the only cars to have achieved perfect scores in all three AEB categories.

The S90 and V90 also scored highly at the Euro NCAP 2017 Best in Class awards, achieving 95 per cent in the Adult Occupant category and 93 per cent in the Safety Assist category.

The Euro NCAP award follows the XC60 being named Japan’s 2017-18 Car of the Year. The XC60 also won the UK’s 2017 Car Tech Awards for Best Safest Car, Best Safety Technology and Best Sat-Nav; and was crowned Luxury SUV of the Year in the UK’s Professional Driver 2017 Car of the Year awards. The XC60 has also been named as one of three finalists for the 2018 North American Utility of the Year award, the winner of which will be announced on 15 January 2018.

Euro NCAP awards

Each year, Euro NCAP publishes a ‘Best in Class’ to indicate which vehicles have performed better than their competitors launched in the same calendar year, using a weighted sum of scores for accurate comparison in each class, across four areas of assessment: adult occupant, child occupant, pedestrian and safety assist.