Toyota Prius awarded five-star Euro NCAP safety rating
The 2016 Toyota Prius became the first car to achieve a five-star Euro NCAP rating under tougher new tests, including pedestrian autonomous emergency braking.
Toyota’s fourth-generation Prius hybrid has secured a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, becoming the first model to achieve the top score under the agency’s revised 2016 protocols. The new tests place greater emphasis on active safety systems, including autonomous emergency braking for pedestrians.
The Prius achieved 92 percent for adult occupant protection, 82 percent for child occupant safety, 77 percent for pedestrian protection, and 85 percent for safety assist features. The new Euro NCAP regime, introduced in 2016, evaluates not just crashworthiness but also the availability and performance of advanced safety technology. The Prius was the first car to be tested for pedestrian detection in its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, and Euro NCAP reported strong results for this feature.
Toyota equips the Prius with its Safety Sense package as standard. This includes the Pre-Collision System with pedestrian detection, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with steering control, Automatic High Beam, and Road Sign Assist. Additional options include Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, using radar-based sensors. The inclusion of these features contributed to the Prius’s high safety assist score.
How the Prius compares to rivals
The five-star result places the Prius among the safest cars in its class, particularly under the new Euro NCAP criteria. The Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen Passat have also secured five-star results in previous years, but the Prius is the first to be tested with the updated pedestrian AEB protocols.
- 92% adult occupant protection
- 82% child occupant protection
- 77% pedestrian protection
- 85% safety assist
Euro NCAP highlighted the Prius’s good protection for all critical body areas in crash tests and praised the performance of its autonomous emergency braking. The agency’s 2016 updates reflect the growing importance of active safety systems in new cars, with the Prius setting the benchmark for hybrid models tested under the new regime.
For a comparison with another recent five-star recipient, seeNissan Leaf Becomes First Electric Car to Earn Five-Star Euro NCAP Rating.
