Euro NCAP will change the way their van safety ratings are awarded by aligning the testing more closely to the passenger car tests.
From 2026, Euro NCAP will no longer rate light commercial vehicles based on all the available options in the range. Instead, they will switch to rating the standard equipment fitted to a van.
Euro NCAP introduced its Commercial Van Ratings in 2021, launching it with a medal-based rating system including bronze, silver and gold.
In 2022 Euro NCAP began issuing a new Platinum rating for vans, however, the only Platinum-rated van, the Fiat Ducato, was demoted to Gold in the 2023 ratings. Newer models launched in 2024 saw an increase in the number of Platinum ratings, as new equipment levels meant that several performed substantially better as they tried to meet the EU General Safety Regulation (GSR2).
Several vans, including the Ford Transit Courier, Maxus eDeliver 5, Mercedes-Benz Vito, Nissan Interstar and Renault Master were all awarded the highest rating in 2024.
Under Euro NCAP’s plans, by 2026 vans will be expected to have the same ADAS requirements as passenger cars, and the van rating will from then on only consider standard fitment across all European markets. Euro NCAP will soon advance safety solutions in the fleet market with the introduction of a rating scheme for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
Earlier this year Euro NCAP called on manufacturers to increase the safety equipment in small vans after it released its latest round of results for the segment. Stellantis models, Citroen Berlingo, Fiat Doblo, Vauxhall Combo and Peugeot Partner, as well as the Renault Kangoo and Volkswagen Caddy, all received Gold ratings, while the Mercedes-Benz Citan and Volkswagen ID Buzz Cargo managed to secure Platinum ratings.
Unlike Euro NCAP’s car safety rating, the Commercial Van Rating focuses specifically on crash avoidance technology as van crashes more often result in casualties in the opponent vehicle or to vulnerable road users. However, they currently consider all options available on a van, rather than those applied to the base model.
“For four vans in 2026 we will only rate standard equipment, and we have always rated only standard equipment for passenger cars. In other words, this is the way our ratings evolve. We start with optimal equipment, but then at some point we turn over [to standard equipment],” explains Matthew Avery, Euro NCAP director of strategy development.
