Dongfeng BOX crumples in Euro NCAP testing

LEUVEN, BELGIUM – As demand for EVs grows, the choice in affordable electric cars is increasing – but one new contender in the European car market has performed poorly in Euro NCAP safety testing. The Dongfeng BOX, an affordable small electric hatchback from China’s state-owned Dongfeng Motor Corporation, scored just three stars in Euro NCAP’s rigorous tests.

The independent safety organisation found that during its frontal offset crash test – designed to replicate a car-to-car collision – multiple spot-welds failed on part of the vehicle’s body shell, compromising its safety. If spot welds fail during a crash, the structure can lose its integrity — increasing the risk of deformation around the cabin and reducing protection for occupants.

The failure was revealed during Euro NCAP’s Mobile Progressive Deformable Barrier test, where two vehicles collide head-on with a partial overlap. Frontal collisions are responsible for more deaths and serious injuries than any other accident type. It is performed at 50 km/h (31 mph) and with a 50 percent overlap against a deformable barrier on an oncoming 1,400 kg trolley, also travelling at 50 km/h.

For Adult Occupant Protection, the BOX scored 69 percent. The unstable bodyshell raises concerns over the protection it would offer at higher speeds in the event of a similar accident. After the impact, the automatic door locking mechanism of the BOX failed to unlock, potentially hindering first responders’ efforts to get to the occupants of the vehicle.

There were further causes for concern in this test. Insufficient pressure in the steering wheel airbag meant the driver’s head made contact with the wheel, and some parts of the dashboard structure posed a risk of injury to front occupants’ legs. The BOX also lacks any countermeasures to prevent occupant-to-occupant impact between those sitting in the front, in the event of a side-impact collision.

Sales of electric cars are rising across Europe and the UK, and with the growth in the market comes new and affordable products – cutting the costs for consumers who want to switch to electric.
However, the Dongfeng BOX doesn’t match the safety performance of other small EVs tested by Euro NCAP. Other affordable EVs, such as the BYD DOLPHIN SURF, firefly, MINI Cooper e, Lynk & Co 02, and Renault 4 and 5 have achieved four or five stars, highlighting the safety gap for Dongfeng’s BOX.
It was a concern that the spot welds were compromised during our tests and could be further compromised in higher-speed accidents. Such a failure must be addressed to match competitor vehicles in what’s a fast-growing part of the EV market.

Dr. Aled Williams, Programme Director Euro NCAP

The Dongfeng BOX was just one of the latest new cars to be tested by Euro NCAP. One of those is the Cadillac Optiq, an electric, compact SUV that challenges the likes of Audi, BMW, Land Rover, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz.

In the past, American brands haven’t always performed well in Euro NCAP testing, with high-profile models including the Ford Mustang (two stars, 2017), Jeep Wrangler (one star, 2018), and Chrysler Voyager (one and a half stars, 2007) trailing European cars for safety standards. 

By contrast, the Cadillac Optiq achieved a five-star Euro NCAP rating. For Adult Occupant Protection, it achieved an 83 percent score; Child Occupant Protection was 81 percent; Vulnerable Road User at 76 percent, and the Safety Assist score was 74 percent.

There have been times in the past when US vehicles have fallen well short of the safety standards European consumers take for granted. But the performance of the Cadillac shows that America’s car makers can hold their own against the establishment from Europe and Asia.

Dr. Aled Williams, Programme Director Euro NCAP

The latest tests saw the Volkswagen Group submit several well-known, combustion-powered models for assessment. The Audi Q3 was newly tested, whilst the Škoda Octavia, Volkswagen Golf, ID.4, and T-Cross were all submitted for reassessment according to 2025 protocols, ahead of Euro NCAP introducing new, enhanced protocols in 2026.

These popular models are a small selection of passenger cars built on VW’s MQB Evo platform, which underpins a range of combustion-powered vehicles. With the transition to EVs taking longer than anticipated, the likelihood is that the lifecycle of these models is being extended further than planned. The Q3, Octavia, ID.4, and Golf all scored a maximum five-star rating; the VW T-Cross fell behind with a three-star rating.

In July, Euro NCAP highlighted a flaw with the rear curtain airbag of the CHERY TIGGO 7 and 8 models. The pair of SUVs suffered poor results, failing to adequately protect a child’s head in the event of a side-impact. The fault was identified, and a retest was performed, but the problem remained. Subsequently, at Euro NCAP’s suggestion, CHERY has redesigned the system, and in the latest tests, the issue was found to be resolved. The TIGGOs were awarded a five-star rating.

It is pleasing for Euro NCAP to highlight yet another example of a car manufacturer responding positively to the findings of our rigorous, independent safety tests.
CHERY acted swiftly to address the fault we identified, and the resulting fix has raised the TIGGO to a five-star rating. Striving toward the highest possible safety rating is in the consumer’s best interest.

Dr. Aled Williams, Programme Director Euro NCAP