Three Chinese EVs Just Scored Five Stars in Euro NCAP’s Toughest Tests Yet

Euro NCAP published a fresh batch of results this week, and three Chinese electric cars, the Aion UT, Geely E2, and Leapmotor B05, all came away with the maximum five star rating under the tougher 2026 protocols. The Cupra Raval was tested alongside them and landed four stars on standard equipment, rising to five with its optional Safety Pack fitted.

How each car actually performed

The Aion UT, a small electric hatchback aimed at the same buyers as the Mini Aceman, Renault 4, and Volkswagen ID.Polo, put in a solid all round showing but leaned too heavily on its centre touchscreen for basic driving controls. Its speed limit recognition also only managed 68 percent accuracy, and it has no system to warn if a child’s been left in the car.

The Geely E2 did better on the controls front, mixing physical buttons with the touchscreen and including child presence detection as standard. Its weak point was the automatic emergency braking system, which performed inconsistently across scenarios, and it lost points for inadequate leg protection in a front offset crash test.

The Leapmotor B05, a fastback sedan pitched against cars like the Volkswagen Golf and Renault Megane in Europe, posted the strongest crash protection score of the three at 92 percent, with a near flawless lane departure system and full marks in side impact testing. Euro NCAP did flag that it lacks an adaptive restraint system for occupants of different sizes and could do with more physical switches for its comfort and infotainment controls.

Why the Cupra result works differently

The Raval’s dual rating shows how Euro NCAP now treats optional safety packs. Fitted with standard equipment only, the car scored four stars, held back mainly by a 58 percent Safe Driving score. Add the optional Safety Pack, which brings extra active technology aimed at low speed manoeuvres and junctions, and that same score jumps to 72 percent, enough to push the overall rating to five stars. We covered the Raval’s full specs and where it sits in the brand’s wider EV lineup in our piece on Cupra’s electric range. Euro NCAP’s own rules require that pack to be sold as a genuine standalone option with a minimum fitment rate, and for its features to eventually migrate to standard equipment, something I’ve argued should matter more to buyers than the headline star count, covered in my take on what Euro NCAP’s ratings actually tell you.

The bigger picture behind the ratings

Euro NCAP pointed out that Chinese made vehicles now account for 7 percent of new car sales across the EU and close to 10 percent in the UK, and that the number of Chinese models it’s tested has grown nearly tenfold since 2021. Programme director Dr Aled Williams put it plainly in Euro NCAP’s own release: Chinese carmakers are still working to match the standards European buyers expect, and this round of results suggests that work is paying off, even if each of the three cars still has specific gaps worth knowing about before you buy one.

Featured Image: Leapmotor