Cupra Raval Euro NCAP 2026 test: 4 stars standard, 5 with Safety Pack
Cupra Raval posted 91% for Crash Protection and 95% for Post-Crash Safety, but its standard driver-assistance score kept it at four Euro NCAP stars.
Cupra Raval is a rare example of a car whose excellent crash-test performance was not enough on its own to secure the maximum Euro NCAP rating.
The electric hatchback scored 91% for Crash Protection and 95% for Post-Crash Safety, yet the standard version received only four stars. The reason was its weaker electronic assistance systems: 58% for Safe Driving and 66% for Crash Avoidance. In passive safety, however, the Raval is on the level of five-star rivals.
AION UT also scored 91% for Crash Protection, Leapmotor B05 reached 92%, and Geely E2 scored 86%. All three Chinese EVs passed the new 2026 methodology with the maximum five stars in standard specification. The Cupra case is especially revealing: its Crash Protection and Post-Crash Safety scores did not need to improve to unlock the fifth star. The optional Safety Pack adds, among other features, predictive adaptive cruise control and a front cross-traffic warning system.
As a result, Safe Driving rises from 58% to 72%, while Crash Avoidance improves from 66% to 77%. Crash Protection and Post-Crash Safety stay unchanged at 91% and 95%, but the overall rating becomes five stars. Euro NCAP also notes that the standard Raval performs well in many automatic emergency braking scenarios and earned maximum points in the side barrier impact and the full-width frontal test. In the more severe side pole impact, chest protection was rated marginal.
Another missing feature is a system that detects a child left inside the cabin. The result shows how much the meaning of five stars has changed under Euro NCAP’s 2026 protocols. The organisation now evaluates cars across four major areas, including how electronic systems behave on the road and how effectively they prevent crashes, so a strong body structure alone no longer guarantees the top rating.
Euro NCAP describes the new protocols as tougher. For the Chinese models, the September test series became a clear demonstration of progress: AION UT, Geely E2 and Leapmotor B05 all earned five stars without an extra safety package. Leapmotor was the best of the four for Crash Protection at 92%, while Geely E2 achieved the highest Safe Driving score among the three Chinese cars at 79%.
In earlier real-world testing, Cupra Raval consumed 24–35% more energy than its official WLTP figure when driven mainly at 130 km/h. The model now has another revealing detail: the line between four and five Euro NCAP stars is drawn not by body strength, but by the set of electronic driver-assistance systems.