NCAP year
NCAP year tells you which test protocol era the safety rating belongs to. It matters because safety is not one score. Structure, restraints, crash avoidance, driver monitoring, test year and market equipment all change the result.
How to compare it
Newer years are generally stricter. Use the year to avoid treating older five-star cars as automatically equivalent to newer five-star cars.
- Read the test year and market equipment.
- Separate crash protection from driver assistance.
- Check whether the exact trim includes the safety hardware.
What changes it
Safety results change with market equipment, test protocol year, sensor calibration, tyre fitment and whether assistance systems are standard or optional.
- A rating needs its year and programme.
- Trim-level equipment can change assistance performance.
- Driver monitoring affects assisted-driving safety.
Common trap
A rating may be carried over or re-evaluated depending on model changes and programme rules.
- A star rating without a year is incomplete.
- Optional safety packs can change the result.
NCAP year: safety is layered
Good safety is structure plus restraints plus sensors plus clear driver responsibility.
NCAP year across EVRadar
Based on 172 published cars
Lowest
2010
Typical
2022.1
Highest
2026