Euro NCAP 2026: Three Chinese EVs Score Five Stars While Cupra's Raval Stumbles Without the Add-On
In Euro NCAP's early-September 2026 round, the Aion UT, Geely E2 and Leapmotor B05 all took full marks, while Cupra's Raval stopped at four stars without an optional package. What the numbers show, and what it means for anyone eyeing a budget EV.
What happened
In Euro NCAP's second round of 2026 testing, published in the first days of September, three Chinese electric vehicles earned the maximum five-star rating: the Aion UT city car, the Geely E2 (also known as the EX2), and the Leapmotor B05 [1][2]. In the same batch, Cupra's Raval, the Spanish Volkswagen Group hatchback built specifically to compete with these cheaper Asian rivals, stopped at four stars in its entry configuration, climbing to five only with an optional package [2][5].
It is a result that overturns a widely held assumption: budget Chinese EVs, often dismissed as unfinished products rushed into Europe purely on price, now match, and in some cases beat, the active and passive safety of a pricier, established European nameplate.
The new Stages of Safety protocol
Since 2026, Euro NCAP has assessed cars through four integrated phases known as the Stages of Safety framework: Safe Driving, Crash Avoidance, Crash Protection and Post-Crash Safety, each scored as a percentage [1][4]. It is a tougher regime than before, because it does not just measure what happens during a collision; it also tracks how the car behaves beforehand, to help avoid the crash, and afterward, for instance through automatic emergency calling.
One of the most debated changes concerns the Safe Driving stage itself: controls Euro NCAP treats as safety-critical, such as indicators, hazard lights, wipers, the horn and the SOS call, must remain reachable through a physical button to avoid losing points, even when the rest of the infotainment system runs entirely on a touchscreen.
Aion UT and Leapmotor B05, by the numbers
The two models with the most detailed public data show strikingly similar profiles. The Aion UT scored 66 percent for Safe Driving, 74 percent for Crash Avoidance, 91 percent for Crash Protection and 88 percent for Post-Crash Safety [1][2]. The Leapmotor B05 did slightly better on Crash Avoidance (77 percent) and Crash Protection (92 percent), while matching the Aion's 66 percent on Safe Driving [3].
In both cars the weak point is the same: heavy reliance on the touchscreen for functions Euro NCAP considers critical in an emergency. The Leapmotor B05, for example, loses points because some controls sit only on screen, but it redeems itself with automatic emergency braking rated as nearly flawless at higher speeds and at junctions, plus a lane-keeping system among the best the agency has tested [3][6].
Geely E2, the brand's first five stars, with caveats
The Geely E2 is a case apart: it is the first model from the brand to reach five stars under both the 2026 Euro NCAP protocol and its Australian counterpart, ANCAP, both overhauled this year [4][6]. Testers praised the car's good use of physical controls for driving functions, but flagged inconsistent automatic emergency braking, nearly perfect in some scenarios, below average in others [4]. Five stars, in other words, but not a spotless report card: the overall score rewards the whole package, not every individual sub-test.
The Cupra Raval, five stars only as an option
The detail that drew the most attention was Cupra's own. In its entry trim the Raval stops at four stars; reaching five requires the optional Safety Pack, which bundles predictive adaptive cruise control with front cross-traffic alert [5][6]. The pack comes standard on the Plus, Endurance and VZ trims, but not on the base version most price lists lead with.
It is a useful reminder for anyone reading a spec sheet: the Euro NCAP star rating printed on a brochure refers to a specific configuration, not necessarily the one that ends up in the driveway. On a European car that costs more than its Chinese rivals, the gap between the cheapest trim and the safest one can be exactly what separates four stars from five.
What it means for buyers, new or used
Aion, Geely and Leapmotor are relatively new names on Italian roads, but they are growing fast: Chinese brands passed 7 percent of new-car registrations in the European Union over the past year, a share nearing 10 percent in the UK, and Euro NCAP's testing of Chinese models has risen almost tenfold since 2021 [7]. Anyone considering one of these EVs today, new from a dealer or, a few years from now, secondhand, has for the first time an independent benchmark that stands up against European models, rather than just a salesperson's word.
Two practical takeaways are worth keeping in mind. First, always check the exact trim tied to the five-star rating rather than the model name in general; that applies to European cars just as much as Chinese ones, as the Raval itself proves. Second, on a test drive, personally try the controls Euro NCAP treats as critical, indicators, wipers, the horn, emergency braking, because a clumsy interface in a real emergency matters more than a spec sheet alone suggests.
The bigger picture
The underlying message of this test round is that a low price tag is no longer automatic shorthand for reduced safety. It remains true, though, that the headline scores hide detail worth knowing: Geely E2's inconsistent automatic braking, the touchscreen dependence shared by Aion and Leapmotor, and the optional pack Cupra needs to match them. Five stars on the label is a good starting point, but reading past it is still the buyer's job.
Sources / Further reading
- L'Automobile (ACI), Euro NCAP 2026: cinque stelle per Aion UT, Geely E2 e Leapmotor B05, https://www.lautomobile.aci.it/attualita/euro-ncap-2026-cinque-stelle-per-aion-ut-geely-e2-e-leapmotor-b05/, 2026-09-02
- Motor1 Italia, Nuovi test Euro NCAP 2026: tre cinesi a 5 stelle, Cupra Raval a 4, https://it.motor1.com/news/807020/euro-ncap-2026-aion-geely-leapmotor-cupra/, 2026-09-02
- Euro NCAP, Leapmotor B05 2026 Safety Rating, https://www.euroncap.com/assessments/leapmotor/b05/1237/, 2026-09-02
- Euro NCAP, GEELY E2 2026 Safety Rating, https://www.euroncap.com/assessments/geely/e2/1246/, 2026-09-02
- Euro NCAP, CUPRA Raval 2026 Safety Rating, https://www.euroncap.com/assessments/cupra/raval/1242/, 2026-09-02
- InsideEVs, Think Chinese Cars Aren't Safe? These New Crash Tests Say Otherwise, https://insideevs.com/news/806923/cupra-leapmotor-crash-euroncap-test/, 2026-09-02
- Automotive World, Three Chinese EVs top Euro NCAP's 2026 safety rankings, https://www.automotiveworld.com/news/three-chinese-evs-top-euro-ncaps-2026-safety-rankings/, 2026-09-02
Further reading
- Euro NCAP 2026: cinque stelle per Aion UT, Geely E2 e Leapmotor B05 — L'Automobile (ACI)
- Nuovi test Euro NCAP 2026: tre cinesi a 5 stelle, Cupra Raval a 4 — Motor1 Italia
- Leapmotor B05 2026 Safety Rating — Euro NCAP
- GEELY E2 2026 Safety Rating — Euro NCAP
- CUPRA Raval 2026 Safety Rating — Euro NCAP
- Think Chinese Cars Aren't Safe? These New Crash Tests Say Otherwise — InsideEVs
- Three Chinese EVs top Euro NCAP's 2026 safety rankings — Automotive World
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