With the uproar surrounding the safety ratings recently awarded to a few vehicles sold in South Africa, we detail new car assessment programmes (NCAP) and what you should know about them.
Image: Global NCAP
Many car buyers are factoring in safety considerations when making purchase decisions. The knowledge that all vehicles sold in SA need to conform to regulations controlled by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) provides buyers with a level of assurance that minimum safety standards have been met. However, there is no way of comparing how well vehicles perform in these tests. While the safety features can be compared by manually checking specifications, this does not provide any details regarding how different vehicles perform in crash situations.
The local situation is no different from that in other markets, and it was the need for reliable, independently verified information regarding the safety performance of different vehicles that led to the establishment of the New Car Assessment Programmes (NCAP) in the United States in 1979. Launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it provided the first official crash test ratings to the public, helping raise awareness about vehicle safety and enabling buyers to make informed decisions. This initiative was later followed by Euro NCAP, Global NCAP and similar NCAP programmes in Australasia, the ASEAN countries, China, Korea, Japan, India and Latin America.
Unlike their national vehicle regulations, none of these NCAPs are legislative requirements in their respective countries, but rather a voluntary vehicle safety rating system. Their extensive cover in the media often translates to cooperation with NCAP by manufacturers wishing to ensure their vehicles will achieve the required ratings. In some countries-particularly those with lower-level safety standards -it has also resulted in NCAPs influencing the evolution of national safety laws and regulations.
Unfortunately, while similar and all carrying the NCAP name, the various NCAP test standards and protocols are not identical, which can create misunderstanding and even lead to intentional misrepresentation of ratings. Reasons for differences include applicable local regulatory standards, local safety priorities, and the level of development of each local motor industry. Euro NCAP has been developed over 25 years in mature, sophisticated, high-income markets and is regarded as the NCAP benchmark. Matching European safety levels in a lower-income, emerging market, which demands basic, low-priced cars, is simply not realistic.
Global NCAP, a major project of the Towards Zero Foundation, is not country-specific and serves as the platform for cooperation across the different national programmes. Aligned with Euro NCAP, its focus is on supporting developing market NCAPs and other safety programmes, working with local authorities and vehicle manufacturers to adopt better safety standards while pushing for stronger safety regulations. Several national NCAPs have made significant efforts to align with Euro NCAP, particularly in their testing methodologies, rating systems and emphasis on active safety technologies.
Compared to the compulsory national regulations, which focus on the performance and function of vehicle components and systems, NCAP testing has always centred on crashworthiness; how well a vehicle protects its adult and child occupants in various types of collisions. Euro NCAP has expanded this to include vulnerable road users – pedestrians and cyclists – as well as the fitment of advanced safety assist systems like autonomous emergency braking systems (AEB) and lane support systems that contribute to collision avoidance. Ease of extrication by first responders after an accident, and the effectiveness of the system which automatically alerts emergency services in the event of an accident, are also evaluated.
The safety rating is calculated by evaluating the ‘injuries’ sustained by test dummies in a series of crash tests, as well as the performance of the advanced safety systems. To simplify ratings and aid comparisons between vehicles, the percentage scores for adult occupant, child occupant, vulnerable road users and safety assist are scored individually, before consolidation into an overall rating of up to five stars.
In developing markets, the Global NCAP testing may typically be more limited, focusing on front and side impact protection as well as side pole impact protection for adult and child occupants, pedestrian protection and the fitment of electronic stability control (ESC).
Despite using a similar five-star rating system, scores from various NCAPs should not be compared owing to the differences in test procedures as already explained. Complicating this even further are differences in the specifications of otherwise similar vehicles for different markets as these can affect their safety ratings. The reasons for these variables may be local regulations, market preferences or cost saving, while they can range from variations in body structure to the more obvious fitment of safety features and advanced safety systems.
A practical example of this can occur where a vehicle – which has obtained a certain rating in its country of origin according to the local NCAP procedure – is also exported to other countries. That rating will not be applicable to the exported vehicle unless its specifications in all areas, which might affect any of the test results, are identical. To ensure transparency and avoid misinterpretation, any claim published outside the country of origin should include a confirmation the specification offered is identical, or at least a disclaimer clarifying the version or specification tested and to which the rating applies.
An additional consideration when evaluating ratings is that the specifications of vehicles are frequently revised during their lifecycles, as manufacturers keep them fresh and competitive against changing competition. In many cases, the changes might result in an improved NCAP score.
Conversely, buyers of used cars need to be aware that a current rating might not apply to an older vehicle. Further complicating matters, the exact opposite occasionally applies. To keep pace with new technological innovations, the NCAP test protocols evolve, with existing tests being revised and new requirements added. This means a vehicle, which achieved a certain rating at the time of its introduction, could receive a rating drop if retested in the latter stages of its lifecycle if it has not been updated to keep pace with evolving safety standards. It must be noted a reduced rating in these circumstances does not mean the vehicle is less safe than before, but rather that its safety level has fallen behind the latest standard.
Image: Hyundai
The South African compulsory vehicle specifications are generally aligned with European equivalents, but are implemented in a time frame deemed appropriate to local requirements. They cover a broad range of components and systems, many of which are safety critical, including lights, glass, mirrors, child safety restraints, seat belts and child-seat anchorages, brake systems and frontal impact characteristics, such as rearward movement of steering controls.
While South Africa does not have its own NCAP, in 2017, in conjunction with the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA), Global NCAP launched the Safer Cars for Africa project with the objective of promoting safer cars across Africa. Some early test results were a cause of serious concern, with some vehicles achieving zero stars. Those vehicles have since been discontinued, and some recent highlights have included a five-star adult occupant rating for the Mahindra XUV300, while VW is to be commended for recently upgrading the extended-life Polo Vivo, improving its rating from two to four stars.
The Global NCAP/AA initiative should be applauded as a step in the right direction, but with relatively few vehicles tested to date, the reality remains … the broader lack of independently verified, comparable safety ratings means safety-minded South African motorists are forced to select vehicles based on brand reputation and overseas NCAP ratings that may not be applicable.
In the case of imported, low-volume, more expensive vehicles, there is high likelihood the overseas NCAP rating would apply to the vehicle sold in SA as, for reasons of production complexity, the manufacturer looks to limit unique specifications. More concerning is the case of lower-priced imported vehicles, where the economically driven market buy-down has led to significant volume increases.
In segments where manufacturing cost is critical for market competitiveness and margins are tight, there is a far greater likelihood the specification being built for SA might differ in key areas from the specification tested in its home market, rendering that NCAP rating not applicable. While building vehicles to a price demanded by the market concerned is understandable, the real issue is that in neither case is that information freely available to the local buyer to assist in making an informed buying decision.
Addressing this issue will require the support and input of road safety organisations, national regulators, vehicle manufacturers and importers, and Global NCAP. Safety features carry a cost, as does NCAP testing and, while local economic realities need to be recognised, with a road death toll equivalent to approximately 20 deaths per 100 000 of the population compared to 4.6 in Europe, concerned motorists deserve to be able to make an educated choice and select the safest vehicle they can afford.
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