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Euro NCAP 5-star

Hyundai’s newest vehicle, the Kona has received high marks in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash safety tests. The independent European body determined that the Kona deserved a 5 star rating, the highest distinction possible in all four categories: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Pedestrian and Safety Assist.

“The five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP for the All-New KONA proves that our newest SUV fulfills the highest standards for the safety of our customers,” says Thomas A. Schmid, Chief Operating Officer at Hyundai Motor Europe. “The top result demonstrates that Hyundai Motor not only offers technology-driven and innovative solutions, but also makes them easily accessible to everyone.”

The compact SUV completed the required tests with more than satisfactory results thanks to it’s slew of safety tech. Most notable of the lot have to be Lane Keep Assist and Autonomous Emergency Braking. The former monitors vehicle movements, prompting drivers to keep within the white lines when they stray off course. It does give off audible and visual warnings before stepping in to steer it back on track.

The latter, which is becoming commonplace on many new vehicles, monitors the road ahead via radar and camera sensors. If the system senses an impending collision, it warns drivers both visually and audibly. If the driver continues to ignore the warnings, the system will step in and apply the appropriate braking pressure to avoid or lesson the severity of an impact.

Apart from these, the Kona also benefits from having High-Beam Assist (HBA) with Static Low Beam Assist, Driver Attention Alert (DAA), Blind-Spot Detection (BSD) and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCCA). Together, these safety features makes up Hyundai’s SmartSense system. Adding to this, the car also offers SUV capabilities, allowing drivers to traverse tricky terrain in a safe manner.

Thatcham Research is an independent advocate of automotive safety & repair as well as an adviser to motorists, insurers and vehicle manufacturers in aiding the reduction in accident frequency, severity and costs. This world leader in crash safety and research, has awarded the Volvo XC60 with top marks for vehicle safety.

In fact, the Swede scored 95% in the Safety Assist category, which is about 40% higher than the average for cars that were tested this year. Contributing to this stellar score was its Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system that scored maximum points when tested at highway speeds and was successful at avoiding all collisions.

“The new Volvo XC60 has “aced” the exacting test protocols,” said Matthew Avery director of research at Thatcham Research. “It’s exceedingly rare for a vehicle to score so favourably across the board. The adult occupant protection result for the Volvo XC60 is one of the best on record.”

“But it’s in active safety that Volvo is really maintaining its lead. The XC60’s standard-fit safety technologies are excellent – or rather those that we were able to test, as its Turn Across Path and Run off Road systems are not yet a feature of the Euro NCAP programme,” he added.

Other SUVs that were tested during the same period included the Citroën C3 Aircross, Opel / Vauxhhall Crossland X, VW T-Roc, Skoda Karoq and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. All of them performed relatively well by achieving the Euro NCAP 5-star rating respectively.

Besides crash and track research, Thatcham Research also conducts tests and accredits crash repair parts, vehicle repair technicians, as well as others services. The acquired data is then used to benefit the collision repair industry for insurers, motor manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and suppliers.

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