Mazda’s new CX-30 crossover has received the highest Euro NCAP safety rating ever for its adult occupancy protection rating (AOP).
Euro NCAP has said ‘there are few safer places to be’ than in the new Mazda CX-30, thanks to its 99 per cent rating for AOP. That eclipses the 98 per cent rating scored by the 2019 Mazda3, 2017 Volvo XC60, 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia and 2012 Volvo V40.
AOP looks to assess the protection offered to the driver and front seat passenger in the event of a crash, with full marks being awarded to the CX-30 in the width barrier, side impact and side pole tests. The latter test is deemed to be the most severe because of the level of intrusion into the passenger compartment of the car.
Matthew Avery, director of insurance research at Thatcham Research, said: “This is a truly impressive result. The Mazda CX-30 is a mainstream vehicle, available at an affordable price point performing at the highest level in impact testing. In the event of an accident, there are few safer places to be than the front seats of the Mazda CX-30.”
The CX-30 slots in the Mazda range between the CX-3 and CX-5, with prices starting from £22,895 when first deliveries start in January 2020. It’s worth noting that the CX-3 is not the safest car ever to be tested – it’s just the most competent in this category, though it still unsurprisingly scores the full five-star rating.
Elsewhere in this latest round of Euro NCAP testing, the new Mercedes GLB scored the top five-star rating – joining every other Mercedes ever to be tested by the safety body since 2015 that has scored the top rating.
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The Ford Explorer SUV, which isn’t sold in the UK but is available in other markets in Europe, also received top marks. The all-new Vauxhall Corsa was also tested, though it just missed out on five stars because of the headrests not offering enough support to help prevent whiplash.
