What is NCAP?

NCAP stands for European New Car Assessment Programme.

Globally, there are nine New Car Assessment Programs (NCAP s, or crash test programs) conducting their own, slightly different, range of crash testing and performance assessments. 

Most test programs use a star rating system (1 to 5 stars) to publicly publish their crash test results. The rating is determined from a series of vehicle tests, designed and carried out by Euro NCAP and are based on real life accident scenarios that could result in injured or killed car occupants or other road users. The more stars the vehicle has, the better the crash performance of that vehicle is, but it also reflects the level of safety equipment the manufacturer is offering in that vehicle line and market. If a vehicle is rated as having 0 stars, that does not mean the vehicle is illegal - it just means it has met the minimum safety standard in that market to be salable. Similarly, a vehicle with 2 or 3 stars does not mean it is unsafe, but that it is not as safe as its competitors that scored better on the independent testin