In the previous episode, I think I convinced myself at least that the trajectory of the UK car manufacturing statistics showed that the ZEV mandate was a bad idea.

I had a little anecdotal evidence pointing in the same direction, but didn’t show it there, because that post was already too long. Well, I’m showing it now. Along with something else that to the casual eye might look a self-destructive policy – if the aim was actually to “tackle” climate change.

Euro NCAP, as you know, smashes new cars for fun. It then gives them a rating, and you know if your chosen chariot got 5 stars you are buying as safe a vehicle as you can. It’s an important consideration when buying a car, as keeping your family safe trumps everything else. Days gone, the rating was quite informative. There were trash heaps out there. Cars where bits of metal would intrude into the passenger compartment during a low-speed crash. And so, you could pick your way around such death traps by sticking to 4 and 5 star cars.

I happened to be looking at the Euro NCAP website, for no particular reason, when I clicked on the page that showed the cars they have tested in 2025. And the cars on the list are the reason for this post. If you’re of a certain age, there was probably a time when you knew every model of every manufacturer on the UK’s roads. Now, it’s a little harder, as they seem to have triangulated around a particular design. A sort of Unidesign. It makes telling them apart from a distance quite a challenge – though there are still some that stand out. On the list of cars tested by Euro NCAP this year, I saw manufacturers I had never heard of. Several, I thought, are probably Chinese. I decided to check. Here is a list, probably not exhaustive.

AION – Chinese state-owned

BYD

Chery

Deepal = Changan

Dongfeng

Ebro – Spanish (Chinese)

Exlantix = Exeed = Chery

Firefly = Nio [This is a budget supermini EV. It got the best crash test results of 2025, beating much more expensive cars. Plus it has a cool name.]

Geely

Hongqi

IM = SAIC = (MG)

Jaecoo = Chery

Leapmotor

Lynk & Co

MG

Omoda = Chery

Polestar = Geely

Volvo = Geely

Voyah = Dongfeng

Zeekr = Geely

Several of these had >1 model tested this year. So, new models from a certain place are “flooding” the European market. Not all of them are EVs, I might point out. But it would be time-consuming to give you the correct proportion. Also, I don’t know how many of these are already available in the UK. What about home-grown? How many new models did UK manufacturers get tested this year? Well, I think only Mini (3) and Nissan (1) are potentially relevant. Possibly 2 of those four are made in the UK.

That’s my anecdote about the ongoing success of the ZEV mandate as far as UK manufacturing is concerned. What was it they said the last time?

Our ZEV mandate is already driving jobs, investment and innovation into the UK.

But I’m not quite done with the Euro NCAP site just yet. Scrolling through the ratings of the newly-tested cars, most have 5 stars. Only two fall as low as 3 stars – the Dongfeng Box and the VW T-Cross. Even the MG3, which infamously suffered a catastrophic failure during its crash test, got 4 stars. That’s because points are awarded for things other than the fundamental “If I crash, do I die?”

Which brings me to the other thing I saw on Euro NCAP. The safety people are revising their test protocols for 2026, and I’m going to paste in some highlights from their press release below.

“Euro NCAP announces 2026 protocol changes to tackle modern driving risks”

The update, the largest revision since the introduction of the overall rating system in 2009, will go into effect in 2026.  It features an overhaul of vehicle testing and scoring procedures, along with a new rating methodology built around four key stages of safety: safe driving, crash avoidance, crash protection, and post-crash safety.

…

Several changes to Euro NCAP’s testing programme have been made in response to consumer feedback. Driver assistance systems, which have faced criticism for annoying warnings or intrusive interventions, will be evaluated not only on their crash-prevention abilities on the test track, but also during real-world driving, with the aim of improving consumer acceptance.

Crash-protection evaluations will expand to include a broader spectrum of occupant body sizes, from children to shorter and taller adults…

New post-crash requirements will require electrically powered exterior door handles to stay functional for easier rescue and mandate proper high-voltage battery isolation in electric vehicles, among other updates to help first responders.

[Things you didn’t know you needed. Why can’t we have a damned handle?]

The Stages of Safety are:

• Safe Driving – Considers the vehicle technologies and features that assist in providing a safer driving experience for the driver and vehicle occupants.

• Crash Avoidance – Assesses the crash avoidance systems that help prevent or mitigate critical incidents through warnings or autonomous intervention.
• Crash Protection – Evaluates the performance of traditional crash protection elements, including vehicle structure, seatbelts, airbags, and head restraints to mitigate injuries to vehicle occupants, pedestrians, and cyclists.
• Post-Crash Safety – Addresses the ‘golden hour’ of emergency response through post-crash rescue information and assistance systems.

[So the only thing that we actually need is the third one?]

Stage One: Safe Driving

Euro NCAP will place greater emphasis on driver monitoring technologies that maintain attention and engagement behind the wheel, focussing on improved system reliability and user acceptance. Points will be awarded for advanced systems that monitor driver performance in real time.

To achieve the highest ratings, vehicles must not only employ continuous eye- and head-tracking but also link driver state information to the sensitivity of driver assistance systems. Additional credit will be given to technologies that can identify signs of drug or alcohol impairment and those capable of safely bringing the vehicle to a halt if the driver becomes unresponsive.

[I don’t want those things. I have never so much as sniffed alcohol before driving, nor will I ever. So why would I want my car to monitor my state of inebriation? Real-time driver performance monitoring? Continuous eye- and head-tracking? I don’t want that either. As to bringing the vehicle to a halt safely if I die at the wheel: they want manufacturers to install a failsafe that is likely never to be engaged. If it ever is engaged, it’s 99% likely that it will be because of a system failure, not a heart failure.]

Stage Two: Crash Avoidance

Smoothness and intuitiveness of operation in everyday driving, in particular for lane support systems, will now contribute to scoring, addressing consumer concerns about intrusive or unpredictable interventions.

[Did I tell you about the time I was driving down the M6 in a hire car, and the HGV on my inside just heaved right? The outside lane was empty, so I steered that way to avoid being wiped out. AND THE CAR SAID NO, YOU MUST NOT VEER OUT OF YOUR LANE.]

Cars capable of recognising and reducing the risks of pedal misapplication (accidentally pressing the accelerator instead of the brake) will also be rewarded. This will be assessed as part of the new ‘Low Speed Collisions’ tests that also include Cyclist Dooring. 

[There have been a spate of EVs shooting off and wiping things or people out or going through windows. Our own humble Fiesta was written off by one such. My timorous suggestion would be to HARD LIMIT THE ACCELERATION. Some of these EVs are just ludicrous. As to Cyclist Dooring, did I tell you about the time I was Pedestrian Doored? There I was, jogging along the pavement when some old duffer opened the passenger door and my knee made somewhat painful contact with it, edge on. He got a tirade, but I think I came off worse.]

Stage Three: Crash Protection

[Not many changes here.]

Stage Four: Post-Crash Safety

[As well as ensuring that the stupid doors still work,]

Automated emergency notifications will need to provide details on the number of occupants in the vehicle, requiring reliable detection even when seatbelts are not fastened. These changes aim to support faster, more accurate emergency response following a collision.

[Another thing we never knew we needed. Finally,]

With the rise of electric vehicles, cars must be able to communicate battery-fire risk to the driver after a crash and issue a warning in a timely manner, if a battery fire begins during charging or after a crash.

[I was going to make a crack about EV fires, but I won’t.]

It looks to me as if new cars are going to be rammed with tech we don’t need. This will make the vehicles more expensive, and give more opportunities for failures in the real world. Something tells me that the next generation of cars is going to be one that does not last as long as the previous. If that instinct is correct, it rather makes you wonder where sustainability comes into this. The new cars are going to be largely made in China. Sure, penetration into European markets is still relatively low, but if the number of models being tested is any guide, they intend to sell us a lot of cars in the next few years. And those cars will be cheaper than the ones we can make ourselves.

A lot of this is not compulsory – it just factors into whether you get a 5 star rating. This image shows the safety features that are compulsory, in the EU, and by a sort of osmosis, the UK:

***
The 2025 ratings can be found here.

The press release on 2026 protocols is here.

The EU factsheet on new safety requirements is here.