Tesla and Volvo have both come under fire in Euro NCAP’s latest safety reviews – and if you’re into tech or considering a car with self-driving features, this is worth knowing.
Euro NCAP – the people who test how safe your car really is – have taken issue with Tesla’s ‘Autopilot’ system. Not because of how it works mechanically, but because of the name. They say it’s misleading and inappropriate, suggesting the car can fully drive itself when it actually can’t. That confusion hurt Tesla’s safety rating, with the Model S only getting a ‘Moderate’ grade in the latest Assisted Driving assessments.
While Tesla’s safety backup systems (the tech that kicks in to avoid crashes or deal with things like blocked sensors) did well, it scored poorly in the ‘Assistance Competence’ test. That part checks how clearly a car tells you what its self-driving features can and can’t do, how easy it is to take back control, and how well things like adaptive cruise control work in real life.
Adriano Palao, Euro NCAP’s assisted driving lead, didn’t hold back. He accused Tesla of “misleading consumers” just through the use of the word Autopilot, warning that it could lead to unsafe situations if drivers expect more from the system than it can deliver.
One of the main issues? Drivers sometimes need to use quite a bit of force to correct the steering, and nearly all alerts show up on the centre touchscreen – not exactly ideal when you’re meant to be paying attention to the road.
Tesla didn’t give a statement, but it did point to a small disclaimer on its website that says the system doesn’t make the car fully autonomous and still needs active driver supervision.
Volvo didn’t escape criticism either. Its Pilot Assist system also fell short, with testers saying it lets people keep using semi-autonomous features even if they regularly take their hands off the wheel – something that could be risky if a driver gets too relaxed or distracted.
On the flip side, some carmakers smashed it. The Renault 5, Kia EV3, Toyota bZ4X and Porsche Macan all got a ‘Very Good’ rating. The Macan especially stood out for how clearly it communicates what the car can (and can’t) do, scoring high for both competence and safety support.
Next year, Euro NCAP is changing how it ranks car safety entirely. The new ratings will be based on four key things: safe driving, avoiding crashes, protecting you during a crash, and how the car responds after a crash.
