New Mazda MX-30 EV scores top marks in Euro NCAP test

The new Mazda MX-30 electric crossover has achieved a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP safety tests. The latest-generation Honda Jazz has also been awarded the maximum score.

The MX-30, which will go on sale in the UK early next year with a starting price of £25,545 (after the government grant) was praised by Euro NCAP for its impressive front-end safety structure and far-side restraints. Those systems helped it achieve a 91% score for adult occupant protection and 87% for child occupant protection.

The EV scored 73% for its safety assistance systems but just 68% for vulnerable road users collision avoidance capabilities. Euro NCAP described the latter score as a "mediocre test performance", noting the car lacks "more advanced functionalities, such as turn-across-path intervention."

The latest Jazz, now offered in the UK with an exclusively hybrid line-up, was praised for featuring "the most up-to-date safety equipment", including new autonomous emergency braking systems and a centre-mounted airbag.

The Jazz scored 87% for adult occupant protection, 83% for child occupant protection, 80% for its vulnerable road user collision avoidance systems and 76% for its safety assistance systems.

Michael van Ratingen, the secretary general of Euro NCAP, said the latest five-star ratings "demonstrate that Euro NCAP's new 2020 protocols are having a tangible impact on the safety equipment and crash performance of car models in Europe, including the latest electrified vehicles."