Euro NCAP releases new protocols for 2026
- Mike Lee
- Dec 10, 2025
- 2 min read
Euro NCAP – the European New Car Assessment Program – has released its new protocols for 2026, and with this announcement, engineering teams across the automotive industry are now facing one of the most significant safety shifts in recent years.
The new framework broadens the assessment far beyond impact performance, demanding proof of prevention, protection and recovery under a wide range of real-world conditions. As carmakers redefine their testing and validation strategies, a clear understanding of what is changing – and what it takes to earn a coveted “five star” rating – is becoming essential.
Euro NCAP 2026 represents an evolution of how vehicle safety is measured and reckoned. What was once a collection of primarily crash-focused tests has become a comprehensive event assessment. In brief, vehicles are now evaluated before, during and after a collision.
The expanded assessment criteria significantly increase the number and complexity of required validations. But even in this era of “virtual testing,” physical proving ground tests remain at the heart of confirming vehicle behavior under controlled yet realistic conditions.
In a nutshell, the newly released (v10.0) rating scheme can be viewed as this:
There’s no doubt that Euro NCAP 2026 demonstrates a major step forward for vehicle safety, as it now looks at consistent performance across prevention, impact protection and post-crash support – and vehicle manufacturers who regard safety as a part of a comprehensive life cycle are rewarded for covering all the bases.
As testing requirements expand, vehicle development teams will increasingly rely on proven testing solutions and equipment that supports their evaluation steps and delivers fast results under tight testing schedules. Koala Technologies, as always, stands at the ready to support this important work, providing test equipment and engineering expertise that meets the demands of auto manufacturers around the world.
