Source: Euro NCAP

LEUVEN, BELGIUM – Euro NCAP today published the safety ratings of four vehicles. Two BMWs – the 1 Series and the 3 Series – both achieve a maximum five-star rating. The Jeep Cherokee and the Peugeot 208 settle for four stars apiece.

BMW’s 1 Series, in its third generation and, for the first time, a front-wheel drive car, maintained a five-star Euro NCAP rating and continues BMW’s recent string of safety successes. Its score in adult-occupant protection would have been higher were it not for its front seat narrowly missing a ‘good’ rating for Whiplash protection. The full marks the car got for its AEB City performance were not included in the adult occupant protection score as a result.

BMW’s larger family car, the 3 Series, has also been restyled and is now in its 7th generation. BMW has brought the car up to date with the best safety performance of any large family car tested by Euro NCAP against the 2018/2019 protocols.

Euro NCAP Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen, said, “It’s good to see the premium brands, from Germany and elsewhere, maintaining the very high standards they have set for themselves and continuing to achieve five-star ratings. I’m sure that BMW’s customers can be confident that the company will continue to strive for the highest standards of safety, even as our protocols get tougher and tougher.”

The Peugeot 208 narrowly missed out on a Euro NCAP five-star rating, so drops a star compared to the previous-generation vehicle, that offered fewer standard safety technology but was tested against less stringent requirements in 2012. The supermini meets the five-star requirements in all areas except the protection of vulnerable road users, so ends up with a four-star rating overall.

The Jeep Cherokee sits squarely in Euro NCAP four-star territory, with good but unexceptional performance across the board, but a huge improvement over its larger stablemate, the Wrangler, tested last year.

About Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP, www.euroncap.com, organizes crash tests on new vehicles and provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe. Established in 1997 and backed by several European Governments, motoring, consumer and insurance organizations, Euro NCAP has rapidly become a catalyst for encouraging significant safety improvements to new car design.

Euro NCAP ratings strictly apply to vehicles of the specifications offered in Europe. The ratings do not necessarily apply to models offered in other regions, even when sold under an identical name, as production specification and equipment may vary.