Five stars for Mercedes G-Class in latest round of Euro NCAP tests

A trio of new SUVs have all achieved the coveted five-star safety rating from crash testing organisation Euro NCAP.

The Honda CR-V, Seat Tarraco and Mercedes G-Class all gained the top rating with similar scores across the board.

It’s perhaps the retro-styled G-Class’ score that’s the most impressive – with its five-star rating coming after the similar-in-spirit Suzuki Jimny and Jeep Wrangler posted disappointing scores.

All three vehicles offer old-school off-road ability courtesy of separate chassis construction, but the Jimny’s three-star rating included a disappointing 52 per cent score for pedestrian safety and just 50 per cent in the Safety Assist category – ranking items such as the car’s autonomous emergency braking or lane-departure warning. The Wrangler, meanwhile, scored just a single star, with low ratings across all four categories.

However, Mercedes’ off-roader posted an impressive average of 80.75 across all four categories. Adult occupant protection was rated at 90 per cent, child occupant at 83 per cent, and pedestrian safety was 78 per cent. The lowest score posted was in the Safety Assist category, at 72 per cent.

Also tested were two other SUVs – the Honda CR-V and the Seat Tarraco. The Honda posted scores of 93 per cent, 83 per cent, 70 per cent and 76 per cent in adult, child, pedestrian and safety assist respectively, while the Tarraco scored a near-perfect 97 per cent in adult occupant protection, 84 per cent for child, and 79 per cent in both pedestrian and safety assist categories.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP secretary general, said: “Here we have three new vehicles, competing in the same segment and getting top safety ratings. That’s impressive enough but the fact that all three off-roaders are equipped with pedestrian and cyclist AEB systems really demonstrates the power of consumer testing not only to encourage better performance but also to promote new technologies as standard-fit across Europe.”