The Fiat Ducato has been revealed as the safest van in the latest Euro NCAP tests for commercial vans in 2023.
The Ducato takes the title as the best van for safety for the second year running, scoring a total of 63%.
In the Commercial Van Ratings announced today, the Ford Transit and the Fiat Ducato both achieved a Gold rating. The Mercedes-Benz Vito, however, has dropped from Gold to a Silver rating. Also rated as silver is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Volkswagen Transporter, the Renault Trafic, Nissan Primastar and Volkswagen Crafter.
Vans with a Euro NCAP Bronze Rating for 2023 include the Citroën Dispatch, Citroën Relay, Iveco Daily, Vauxhall Vivaro, Vauxhall Movano, Peugeot Expert, Peugeot Boxer, Renault Master and Toyota Proace.
Last year the Fiat Ducato was the safest van tested in 2022 but since then there have been other notable success stories, most recently with the Volkswagen Amarok and the Volkswagen ID Buzz getting 5 Star Euro NCAP ratings. The lowest scoring van in 2022 was the Nissan Interstar with a score of just 18%.
Euro NCAP ratings for 2023 have been tightened with stricter criteria. The results for eighteen vans show a drop in overall ratings compared to last years ratings, but the same vans lead the pack for safety. The Fiat Ducato was the only Platinum rated van last year and despite once again topping the list it has been dropped to a Gold rating under this year’s tougher protocol. Its 88% rating in 2022 has been downgraded to 63% in 2023.
The Nissan Interstar continues to be rated Not Recommended based on its lack of crash avoidance systems.
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. Safety systems in HGVs are considerably more advanced than light commercial vehicles, and many manufacturers have been leading the way for autonomous vehicle testing which requires ADAS equipment.
Euro NCAP’s new criteria for Commercial Van Ratings takes ADAS to a higher level with greater emphasis on vulnerable road users including pedestrian safety, with focus on night-time scenarios, and cyclists as well as the introduction of one new van-to-car crash scenario.
Other vans due to be crash tested soon by Euro NCAP include the Ford Transit Custom and the LEVC VN5.
Officially, according to the Euro NCAP Commercial Van ratings the safest van on sale in the UK is the Fiat Ducato. It gained a gold rating with an overall score of 63%. The Ford Transit was the only other vehicle to get a gold rating with a 60% rating.
According to the round of Euro NCAP tests conducted in 2023 the least safe van on sale is the Nissan Interstar with a rating of 18%.
