When shopping for a new electric vehicle, most buyers usually focus on range, charging speed, performance, or technology. But if you have children, there is another category that arguably deserves even more attention than range figures or acceleration times. Child safety.
Modern EVs are generally extremely safe vehicles. In fact, it has become relatively rare for a new electric car to score less than five stars in Euro NCAP testing. However, even among five star electric vehicles, there are still significant differences in crash protection performance, especially in the Child Occupant Protection category. This becomes even more important in the SUV segment, where many families naturally gravitate because of the additional cabin space, larger trunks, and improved practicality. That is exactly what this article focuses on: electric SUVs currently available in Europe that achieved the strongest Child Occupant Protection scores in Euro NCAP testing.
EVs I covered here are among the safest vehicles out there, but there are also EVs I wouldn’t recommend buying because of poor Euro NCAP ratings.
Table of Contents
- What Does Child Occupant Protection Actually Mean?
- Polestar 3 – 93%
- Volvo EX90 – 93%
- Tesla Model Y – 93%
- Smart #5 – 93%
- BYD Sealion 7 – 93%
- Leapmotor B10 – 93%
- Mercedes Benz EQE SUV – 90%
- Audi Q6 e tron – 90%
- Porsche Macan – 90%
- Zeekr X – 90%
- Zeekr 7X – 90%
- Final Thoughts
- FAQ
What Does Child Occupant Protection Actually Mean?
Before looking at the rankings, it is important to understand what Euro NCAP measures in this category.
Child Occupant Protection evaluates how well a vehicle protects children during frontal and side impact crashes. Euro NCAP uses child dummies representing both six year old and ten year old passengers and measures the stress placed on critical body areas during testing. The score also includes additional factors such as ISOFIX installation compatibility, child seat safety, airbag functionality, and systems designed to prevent children from being accidentally left inside the vehicle.
This is why a score above 90 percent is considered exceptional. Achieving 93 percent in modern Euro NCAP testing is not something many vehicles manage to do.
Polestar 3 – 93%
The Polestar 3 currently represents one of the strongest child safety performers among all electric SUVs tested in Europe. Its 93 percent Child Occupant Protection score places it at the very top of the modern Euro NCAP rankings. Euro NCAP specifically praised the SUV’s performance in frontal offset and side barrier testing, where protection for both child dummies remained extremely high.
The Polestar 3 also benefits from Volvo derived safety engineering, which is still widely regarded as one of the benchmarks for family vehicle safety.
Volvo EX90 – 93%
The Volvo EX90 achieved one of the highest Child Occupant Protection scores currently recorded for an electric SUV in Europe. Its 93 percent result puts it directly alongside the safest family EVs tested by Euro NCAP in recent years. That should not come as a surprise considering Volvo’s long standing reputation for occupant protection and family safety engineering.
Euro NCAP praised the EX90’s crash protection performance for child occupants in both frontal and side impact scenarios, while the SUV also benefits from advanced occupant monitoring systems and extensive active safety technology.
Tesla Model Y – 93%
The Tesla Model Y remains one of the safest electric SUVs available in Europe for families with children. Despite being on the market for several years now, thanks to constant updates the Model Y performs exceptionally well in Euro NCAP testing.
It’s strong structural rigidity, combined with advanced crash avoidance systems and excellent rear seat protection, keeps the Model Y among the elite group of family focused electric SUVs.
Smart #5 – 93%
The Smart #5 surprised many by achieving a 93 percent Child Occupant Protection score. Built on a modern Geely based EV platform, the Smart #5 combines advanced crash structures with strong active safety systems. Euro NCAP highlighted the SUV’s excellent side impact protection and very good compatibility with child restraint systems.
Its result also reflects how rapidly Chinese and Geely affiliated manufacturers have improved in safety engineering over the past few years.
BYD Sealion 7 – 93%
The BYD Sealion 7 is currently BYD’s strongest performing SUV in Euro NCAP child safety testing. It achieved a 93 percent Child Occupant Protection score, placing it directly alongside some of the safest electric SUVs currently sold in Europe. This is especially significant considering how quickly BYD expanded its European presence in recent years.
The Sealion 7 demonstrates that BYD is no longer competing only on price or battery technology. The company is now clearly targeting top tier safety performance as well. I covered the vehicle in more detail in my article BYD Sealion 7 explained: Trims, range, price and rivals in one Europe‑focused guide.
Leapmotor B10 – 93%
The Leapmotor B10 may not yet be as widely known in Europe (although I consider it the best buy SUV EV right now) as Tesla or BYD, but its Euro NCAP results immediately attracted attention. The SUV achieved a remarkable 93 percent Child Occupant Protection score, putting it among the safest family EVs currently available in the market.
Euro NCAP particularly praised its child dummy protection results in frontal and side impact testing, along with the effectiveness of its rear occupant monitoring systems.
Mercedes Benz EQE SUV – 90%
The Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is currently one of Mercedes Benz’s strongest performing electric SUVs in Euro NCAP child safety testing. It achieved a 90 percent Child Occupant Protection score, with Euro NCAP highlighting excellent protection for both six and ten year old child dummies in frontal and side impact testing.
The EQE SUV also includes child presence detection systems and a comprehensive suite of active safety technologies designed to reduce the likelihood of collisions involving vulnerable passengers.
Audi Q6 e tron – 90%
The Audi Q6 e-tron achieved a 90 percent Child Occupant Protection score, making it one of Audi’s strongest electric SUV safety performers to date. Euro NCAP testing showed very strong rear passenger protection and solid crash structure integrity during both frontal and side impact scenarios. The Q6 e tron also benefits from Audi’s latest generation driver assistance and occupant safety systems.
The Q6 e-tron is also an SUV with exceptionally good range, reaching up to 679 km on the WLTP cycle, which earns it a place in my piece on EVs with more than 600 km of range. So with this one, you get both safety and long range.
Porsche Macan – 90%
The Porsche Macan proved that performance oriented electric SUVs can also deliver excellent family safety credentials.
Its 90 percent Child Occupant Protection result places it among the safest premium EV SUVs currently available on the continent. Euro NCAP testing highlighted strong occupant restraint performance and very good protection for children during side impact testing.
Zeekr X – 90%
The Zeekr X is a strong example of how competitive the newest generation of electric SUVs has become. It achieves a 90% score for Child Occupant Protection, making it one of the safest compact electric SUVs for families, and it was also crowned the safest EV in Europe for 2024.
Its strong crash structure and excellent occupant restraint systems helped it become one of the highest-rated compact electric SUVs tested, which is one of the reasons it features on my list of the best urban SUVs you can buy.
Zeekr 7X – 90%
The Zeekr 7X continues Zeekr’s strong safety performance in Europe with a 90 percent Child Occupant Protection score.
Built on Geely’s advanced EV architecture, the 7X combines strong structural crash performance with sophisticated occupant protection systems. Euro NCAP testing showed excellent child dummy protection during both frontal and lateral crash scenarios.
Alongside the BYD Sealion 7, the Zeekr 7X features in my list of Tesla Model Y alternatives in Europe.
Final Thoughts
One of the most interesting developments in today’s EV market is how dramatically the child safety landscape has changed. For years, many buyers automatically assumed that German premium brands would dominate safety rankings. While brands like Mercedes Benz, BMW, and Audi still produce exceptionally safe electric SUVs, the highest Child Occupant Protection scores are now increasingly achieved by companies such as Tesla, Polestar, Volvo, BYD, Zeekr, smart, and Leapmotor.
The difference between an 87 percent and a 93 percent Child Occupant Protection score may not sound massive at first glance, but in modern Euro NCAP testing it represents a meaningful improvement in crash performance and child safety engineering. And when you are choosing a family SUV, those differences matter.
FAQ
Which electric SUV has the best child safety score in Europe?
Several electric SUVs currently share the highest Child Occupant Protection scores in Euro NCAP testing, including the Polestar 3, Volvo EX90, BYD Sealion 7, smart #5, and Leapmotor B10.
Is Tesla Model Y safe for children?
Yes. The Tesla Model Y is one of the safest electric SUVs available in Europe and achieved outstanding Child Occupant Protection scores in Euro NCAP testing.
What is considered a good Child Occupant Protection score?
Anything above 85 percent is considered very strong in modern Euro NCAP testing. Scores above 90 percent are exceptional.
Are Chinese electric SUVs safe?
Yes. Recent Euro NCAP results show that several Chinese electric SUVs now rank among the safest family EVs in Europe.
Featured Image Source: Volvo
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