EuroNCAP- are the stars directly comparable?

Question

All new cars in Europe are rated up to a maximum of 5 stars for safety by EuroNCAP (Europe New Car Assessment Programme). Can one make a statement like this, for example: "The Toyota Aygo with it's 4 star EuroNCAP rating is equally as safe in an accident as a BMW 3 series which also has a 4 star rating"?

Answer 1

You have to look at the actual scores in numbers, not just the number of stars.

Also, EuroNCAP only test the car in three crash situations (each test costs about £100,000, plus the cost of the car), so you can only say that the cars performed similarly in those precise crash situations.

In general, a lighter car will perform well in a crash with a fixed object (e.g. a wall) as there is less kinetic energy to absorb in the impact, whereas in an impact with another vehicle a heavier car will perform better, as the heavier car will push the lighter car in the collision backwards, putting greater accelerations onto the occupants of the lighter vehicle.

Answer 2

Euro NCAP actually give a score when testing, the stars are just a highlight. Go to http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ratings/introduction.php to find out the exact score of cars you are looking at (or the one you currently own!).