Euro NCAP scores Kia, Toyota high on assisted driving, warns Tesla results "disappoint"

Testing by Euro NCAP found that while Assisted Driving technology is proliferating across new cars, some systems are more user-centric and safe than others.

The Kia EV3, Porsche Macan, Renault 5, and Toyota bZ4X all scored highly in the Euro NCAP Assisted Driving Grading assessment, designed to evaluate how safely partially automated systems are implemented by vehicle manufacturers.

All four vehicles were awarded a ‘Very Good’ rating for Assisted Driving, providing exceptional balance between driver engagement and safety backup.

However, two cars from brands that trade on a reputation for safety, the Tesla Model S and Volvo EX30, were found wanting in key areas, leading to both models, together with the MG ZS, being awarded a ‘Moderate’ rating for Assisted Driving.

Sitting between these two groups of cars were the MAZDA CX-80 and XPENG G9, which both achieved a ‘Good’ rating for Assisted Driving.

The differences in the safe implementation of these systems illustrated the need for Euro NCAP to provide consumers with impartial ratings of all aspects of a car’s safety.

Technology fitted to today’s vehicles can work as eyes and ears to help keep road users safe, using sensors and cameras to detect potential hazards, warn drivers, and take corrective action automatically.

Assisted Driving systems also provide users with the comfort of keeping a safe distance from vehicles ahead and centred in its lane.

These systems can also adjust speed to the local speed limit, and, when needed, avoid or mitigate collisions.

However, studies have shown the risks that automation may pose to human operators; therefore, it remains crucial that automakers design these systems in a way that keeps drivers engaged and responsible for the driving task, while providing back-up in emergency situations.

To independently assess the effectiveness of these systems, Euro NCAP assessed vehicles’ safety technology under a range of criteria, which fall into two scored categories: assistance competence and safety backup.

The weighted total gave the car its Assisted Driving grading, with the intention of helping consumers compare the user-centric and effectiveness of these systems, showing how proactively a car can assist the driver and how effectively it steps in when things go wrong.

Assistance competence covered the clarity of consumer information, including capability limitations, status alerts, driver monitoring, and how the system allowed for driver collaboration – for example, the override of the system during a driver-initiated manoeuvre, such as around a pothole on the road.

The other key components were speed limit detection and adaptive cruise control performance.

In contrast, safety backup assessed how well a car’s system avoided a collision when faced with other cars, motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians, what action is taken when a sensor or camera becomes blocked, and how the vehicle slowed down to a safe stop when the driver becomes unresponsive.

Euro NCAP praised the Porsche Macan’s ‘InnoDrive with Active Lane-Keeping’ system, awarding it 85% for assistance competence and 92% for safety backup.

The promotional material and handbook were clear about the limitations of the system’s capabilities and the driver’s responsibilities, and on the road, the system status was clearly displayed in the driver’s direct line of sight by a head-up display.

While driving, the Porsche’s system detected when a driver’s hands were off the wheel, issued warnings, and ultimately ended assistance if the driver fails to respond.

When the vehicle managed the steering, it balanced it with any commands from the driver.

The Kia EV3 and Toyota bZ4X, both electric family SUVs, proved similarly competent and intuitive, aiming to demonstrate how assisted driving systems can perform just as well on more affordable cars, the ‘Active Driver Assist’ package fitted to the Renault 5 impressed Euro NCAP’s testers.

This was in clear contrast to Tesla’s latest Autopilot system fitted to the Model S, which performed well for safety backup but fared poorly for assistance competence.

The name ‘Autopilot’ of Tesla’s system, as well as its promotional material, all suggest full automation, which was deemed inappropriate by Euro NCAP and led to a downgrade in the score.

Additionally, unlike the Porsche, its steering input was resistant to a driver attempting to override it, and when the driver did, the system automatically disengaged, limiting its usefulness.

Given the excellent 94% score that Autopilot achieved for safety backup, Euro NCAP warned that the 30% Assistance Competence score should disappoint Tesla.

Euro NCAP encountered similar issues with the Volvo EX30’s ‘Pilot Assist’ system; like the Tesla, it used a centrally mounted touchscreen, so the driver must take their eyes off the road to view alerts.

The strategy to promote hands on the steering wheel was judged to be unsafe, as the EX30 did not ‘lock out’ the assistance system even after repeated hands-off alerts.

Adriano Palao, assisted driving/advance driver assistance systems technical manager at Euro NCAP, said: “The safe operation of Assisted Driving systems can only be achieved if consumers clearly understand their role as drivers, know how to operate the system, and are aware of its limitations.

“Euro NCAP’s tests on these nine cars have revealed the differences in how effectively the systems support these key elements.

“Providing correct information for consumers is fundamental. For example, Euro NCAP believes that Tesla is misleading consumers about their Autopilot system’s capabilities simply through its name and marketing, which could have potential safety implications.

“A well-designed system will co-operate with the driver, appropriately inform about the level of assistance, and ultimately offer crash avoidance in critical situations; otherwise, it may introduce additional risks.”