The latest round of van safety tests in Europe – which assess crash-avoidance systems rather than how well they protect the driver in a destructive test – has given 16 of 17 vans marks of either ‘Platinum’ or ‘Gold’ status.
Using a series of robotic cars and people, tests by Euro NCAP included crash-avoidance assessments such as autonomous emergency braking (in a straight line and in an intersection), lane-keeping assistance, as well as cyclist and pedestrian detection.
Not all vans tested by Euro NCAP are sold in Australia but of the ones that are, below is a list of how they performed (including some vans not sold here).
It is important to note some of the vans listed below have more advanced crash-avoidance safety features than what is currently on sale in Australia.
However, the results are a pointer to safety updates due to arrive in Australia either later this year or some time next year.
Of particular interest, this is the first independent safety result we have seen for the LDV eDeliver 7 – and it shows the Chinese manufacturer has stepped up its crash avoidance tech.
In the fineprint of the safety report, it says the ‘Gold’ result will also apply to the diesel version of the LDV Deliver 7 when it eventually goes on sale.
2024 Euro NCAP van safety crash avoidance test results:
- 2024 VW Caddy – Platinum
- 2024 Ford Transit Connect (not sold in Australia) – Platinum
- 2024 Mercedes-Benz Vito – Platinum
- 2024 Renault Master (updated model) – Platinum
- 2024 Renalt Trafic (updated model) – Gold
- 2024 LDV eDeliver 5 (not sold in Australia) – Platinum
- 2024 LDV eDeliver 7 (and diesel variant) – Gold
- 2024 LDV eDeliver 9 (and diesel variant) – Gold
- 2024 Fiat Ducato / Peugeot Boxer – Gold
- 2024 Iveco Daily – Gold
Source: Euro NCAP.
It is worth repeating the disclaimer that the above results are not based on destructive crash tests, so we don’t know how well they protect the driver in a crash.
Below is a list of vans that have been crash-tested by Australasian NCAP (ANCAP) or its European affiliate Euro NCAP.
The below results are from a series of severe front and side impact crashes are an even better indicator of driver protection.
- Toyota Hiace – Five stars
- Hyundai Staria Load – Five stars
- Ford Transit Custom (previous model) – Five stars
- VW Transporter (previous model) – Four stars
Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, most of that time with Fairfax (The Sydney Morning Herald), News Corp Australia (Herald Sun and News.com.au), and most recently Drive.com.au (owned by Nine Media). He is also a World Car of the Year judge, has won numerous journalism awards, and test drives up to 200 cars per year.
