Automotive safety experts at Euro NCAP have detailed the safest new cars on sale, based on a year of testing.
The organisation crash tested more cars in 2025 than in any previous year, as a raft of new models and manufacturers came to market.
Tesla, Polestar and Mercedes are among the manufacturers named ‘Best in Class’ this year. The Mercedes CLA was named Best Performer, overall.
To define the ‘Best in Class,’ a calculation is made of the weighted sum of the scores in the four areas of assessment: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User, and Safety Assist. Only vehicles with standard safety equipment are eligible for the award, and they must have achieved a five-star Euro NCAP rating.
Euro NCAP 2025 Best-in-Class cars
Best Performer & Best Small Family Car: Mercedes-Benz CLA
The latest CLA impressed judges with a near-perfect performance in Adult Occupant protection and a class-leading score for Vulnerable Road User safety, thanks to its advanced active bonnet and refined AEB systems. It previously topped the Small Family Car class in 2019.
Best City & Supermini: MINI Cooper E
The all-electric MINI Cooper E proves that small cars can deliver big safety. Despite its compact dimensions, it achieved high scores in structural crash testing, making it the safest choice in the supermini class of the models assessed by Euro NCAP in 2025.
Best Large Family Car: Tesla Model 3
The updated Tesla Model 3 remains a leader in safety. The electric family car achieved high scores across the board and particularly impressed in Child Occupant protection. Its Safety Assist score shows Tesla’s continued improvement of driver assistance safety features.
Best Small SUV: Tesla Model Y
Reinforcing Tesla’s dual-category victory this year, the company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs, specifically excelling in Child Occupant protection and Safety Assist tests.
Best Large SUV: Smart #5
A newcomer to the SUV segment, the smart brand began making small cars without any compromise toward safety. The new, large smart #5 impressed Euro NCAP’s experts with a robust five-star performance, proving that the brand’s evolution into larger segments has not come at the cost of occupant protection.
Best Executive Car: Polestar 3
Continuing Polestar’s reputation for safety innovation, the Polestar 3 outperformed rivals in the executive car class. Its structural integrity, impressive Child Occupant protection rating, and suite of next-generation driver assistance technologies secured its place as the safest executive vehicle of 2025.
