2019 Ratings Continue to Smash Records as Mazda Excels in Latest Crash Tests

Today, Euro NCAP releases the safety ratings of four new vehicles. Two compact SUVs, the Mercedes-Benz’s GLB and the Mazda’s CX-30, and the larger Ford Explorer HYBRID have joined the ranks of five stars vehicles published this year. Opel/Vauxhall’s supermini, the Corsa, earned four stars.

The best performer of this round is the Mazda CX-30

The best performer of this round is without doubt the Mazda CX-30, a subcompact crossover in between the CX-3 and CX-5, which has achieved a near-perfect 99 percent score for Adult Occupant Protection. The car, which shares much of its DNA with the all-new Mazda 3 tested earlier this year, now tops the list for this part of the assessment against Euro NCAP’s 2018/2019 protocols.

Mercedes-Benz once again delivers a solid five-star performance with the new GLB compact SUV. In a busy year for the company, the GLB becomes the sixth Mercedes-Benz to be rated this year, and the sixth to achieve the maximum safety rating. Ford’s seven-seat Explorer also gets a top rating. The latest version of this large off-roader, which has been on sale in the US in various forms for nearly three decades, comes to Europe in plug-in hybrid form and performs well in Euro NCAP’s tests.

The supermini segment has increasingly come under pressure in recent years from increasing environmental and safety requirements and a change in consumer appetite. Opel/Vauxhall’s new Corsa, however, achieves four stars, just like the previous generation car did against the requirements in 2014. Now part of the PSA-FCA group, the Corsa shares much of its underpinnings with the latest Peugeot 208, which was also rated as four stars earlier this year. Performing above the five-star requirements in three of Euro NCAP’s four areas of assessment, the Corsa only missed the top rating by a single percentage point in Safety Assist.