As Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) continue to grow in popularity, accounting for 54 per cent of new cars sold around the world last year, with families in particular attracted to their perceived practicality and safety, the Polestar 3 has set a new standard for child safety.
The five-seat, electric large SUV is a challenger to the Tesla Model Y and is the biggest model in the Polestar range. The Polestar 3 achieved a score of 93 per cent for child occupant protection, the highest score of any passenger car tested by Euro NCAP over the past nine years, and all the more impressive given it was assessed under the latest protocols, which are the most demanding to date.
Overall, the Polestar 3 achieved a five-star rating, which is awarded based on test results in four categories: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road Users, and Safety Assist.
But it was the car’s performance in the Child Occupant tests that impressed most. In both the frontal offset crash test and side barrier crash test, Polestar’s 3 offers good protection of both the six and 10-year-old age dummies. It also clearly displays the status of the front airbag when a rear-facing child seat is fitted to the front passenger seat and has a detection system that prevents the driver from locking the car if a child is left in the vehicle.
The rise of the SUV
The rise of the SUV continued in 2024. Worldwide, SUVs made up 54 per cent of the 74.6 million new cars sold, according to Global Data. This is an increase in market share from 51 per cent in 2023 and 49 per cent in 2022.
Consumers are drawn to SUVs for their perceived practicality and safety, making them particularly appealing to families. But with more choice coming from a wave of new, electrically powered SUVs, impartial buying guidance is invaluable. Euro NCAP’s five-star safety rating system helps consumers compare vehicles more easily and identify the safest choice for their needs.
The Polestar 3 was tested together with five other new SUVs. These included the new BYD SEALION 7, an electric large SUV made in China, which matched the Polestar 3’s impressive Child Occupant score of 93 per cent but didn’t perform as robustly in the other tests. However, the SEALION 7 was also awarded a five-star Euro NCAP rating.
Cupra’s new TERRAMAR, which the Spanish car company offers as a conventional petrol-powered model or a plug-in hybrid (as tested by Euro NCAP), also performed strongly, with solid results in the Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, and Vulnerable Road Users categories, ensuring it was awarded a five-star safety rating.
Further reminding of the importance of impartial safety testing of new cars, Euro NCAP’s experts identified issues with three new SUVs.
A strong showing in Vulnerable Road User and Safety Assist tests helped secure the GEELY EX5 a five-star rating. But the electric SUV from China lost points in the Child Occupant test, as its ‘child presence detection’ system failed to meet Euro NCAP’s strict requirements on warning and intervention. The car also dropped points in the Adult Protection tests, after welds around the base of the A-pillar became detached. GEELY showed that the structure did not incur significantly greater damage in a more severe test, but Euro NCAP’s experts applied a penalty to the score.
The Hongqi E-HS9 is another new electric SUV entrant from China. While it also achieved a five-star Euro NCAP rating, in post-test inspections, a small tear was found in the driver’s airbag. A penalty was applied to the score of the level of head protection in both frontal impact tests. Hongqi has investigated the cause of the tear and says quality checking has been improved at the car’s assembly plant and at the airbag supplier.
Rounding off the latest group of new SUVs to be assessed, the JAECOO 7 PHEV also achieved a five-star rating but lost points after the frontal collision test, as the rear of the side curtain airbag got trapped in the C-pillar trim and did not deploy properly. JAECOO’s investigation revealed that one of the clips holding the airbag in place had not been properly installed during production. The company said production line quality has been improved as a result.
Euro NCAP test results overview
| Adult Occupant | Child Occupant | Vulnerable Road Users | Safety Assist | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audi A6 | 5 stars | 87% | 88% | 78% | 77% |
| BYD SEALION 7 | 5 stars | 87% | 93% | 76% | 79% |
| Cupra TERRAMAR | 5 stars | 89% | 87% | 82% | 76% |
| GEELY EX5 | 5 stars | 86% | 87% | 83% | 83% |
| Hongqi E-HS9 | 5 stars | 82% | 87% | 73% | 82% |
| JAECOO 7 PHEV | 5 stars | 81% | 80% | 80% | 80% |
| Polestar 3 | 5 stars | 90% | 93% | 79% | 83% |
