Hyundai IONIQ 6 EV scores "Best in Class" Euro NCAP rating
Ioniq 6 crash testing against a mobile deformable barrier. Images: Euro NCAP
Hyundai IONIQ 6 awarded ‘Best in Class’ of 2022 by Euro NCAP in the ‘Large Family Car’ category
Hyundai’s Electrified Streamliner recently achieved maximum five-star rating in Euro NCAP safety test
Newest model in Hyundai’s all-electric IONIQ line-up brand excelled in ‘Adult Occupant’, ‘Child Occupant’ and ‘Safety Assist’ categories
The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) has announced the best-rated cars of 2022. After testing 66 new passenger cars, Hyundai’s IONIQ 6 Electrified Streamliner was awarded ‘Best in Class’ in the ‘Large Family Car’ category.
“This latest Euro NCAP ‘Best in Class’ 2022 title for IONIQ 6 follows on from last year’s maximum five-star safety rating, and proves that it is one of the safest EVs on the European market,” says Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, Vice President Marketing, Product and PR at Hyundai Motor Europe. “Hyundai is committed to providing all road users with the highest level of safety, while at the same time offering innovative mobility solutions to our customers. This latest accolade by Euro NCAP underscores our industry-leading position in the field of future mobility.”
The Euro NCAP assessment program is a counterpart to ANCAP (Australian new Car Assessment Program), and the two organisations share internationally recognised crash testing standards. To define the Euro NCAP ‘Best in Class’, a calculation is made of the weighted sum of the scores in each of the four areas of assessment: ‘Adult Occupant Protection’, ‘Child Occupant Protection’, ‘Vulnerable Road User Protection’ and ‘Safety Assist’. This sum is used by the organisation as the basis for comparison of the vehicles. Cars qualify for ‘Best in Class’ based only on their rating with standard safety equipment. Additional ratings based on optional equipment are excluded.
IONIQ 6’s victory in the ‘Large Family Car’ category follows on from its successful Euro NCAP safety test last year. In November 2022, it was announced that the latest model of Hyundai’s all-electric IONIQ line-up brand was awarded with the maximum five-star rating.
According to Euro NCAP, IONIQ 6 achieved “exceptionally high results” in the ‘Adult Occupant Protection’ with a score of 97 per cent, claiming first place in the category. Meanwhile, the vehicle assessment organisation praised Hyundai’s Electrified Streamliner in the field of ‘Child Occupant Protection’, where it scored 87 per cent: “IONIQ 6 provided good protection for all critical body regions of both the 6- and 10-year dummies in the frontal offset and side barrier tests and scored maximum points in this part of the assessment”. The model also achieved a high score of 90 per cent in the ‘Safety Assist’ section.
The IONIQ 6 is equipped with the next level of Hyundai Smart Sense Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, including Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA 2), which helps to maintain a set distance and speed from the vehicle ahead when driving on a highway and helps to centre the vehicle in the lane while driving, it can even overtake the vehicle in front. HDA 2 allows IONIQ 6 to reach Level 2 autonomous driving.
HDA2 is currently available on top-spec IONIQ 5 models in overseas markets, but has not made it to the Australian market. We have reached out to Hyundai Australia to determine if future models will receive this technology.
The IONIQ 6 is expected to launch in Australia in the second half of this year, starting from around AUD$70-75,000. You can view the full NCAP results here.