Fleet operators are being urged to take responsibility for the safety of their drivers and to demand a minimum silver-level performance in Euro NCAP’s new ranking scheme when purchasing commercial vans.

Fourteen commercial vans qualify for an award by Euro NCAP under new criteria that prioritise crash avoidance and driver assistance systems. Nineteen vans, covering 98 percent of European sales last year, were tested in accordance with Euro NCAP 2018 Safety Assist protocols, including AEB, Lane Support, Speed Assistance and Occupant State Monitoring.

The new ratings are designed to help fleet operators and business owners make safer choices. Euro NCAP is calling for:

  • Fleet operators to take responsibility for the safety of their drivers and to demand a minimum silver-level performance in Euro NCAP’s new ranking scheme when making purchasing decisions
  • Standardisation of safety equipment on commercial vans ahead of the General Safety Regulation which is still some years away
  • Better performance of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) on commercial vans, to match the state-of-the-art technology fitted to cars
  • Greater clarity from van manufacturers, on websites and in marketing material, regarding the safety features available on their vehicles.

Euro NCAP highlights that the worldwide pandemic and the burgeoning stay-at-home economy have resulted in a significant increase in the need for delivery vehicles.

“Commercial vans are big and heavy compared to passenger cars so, if they crash, they can do a lot of damage and cause serious injuries to others,” said Euro NCAP’s Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen. “Nowadays, active safety systems exist which can greatly reduce the likelihood of a collision with other cars, or with pedestrians or cyclists. These technologies are already commonplace on passenger cars but much less widespread on vans. Given the millions of vans on Europe’s roads, increasing the active safety systems fitted to commercial vehicles is key to improving safety for all road users.”

The type of commercial vehicles tested by Euro NCAP are designed to transport goods or equipment and weigh no more than 3.5 metric tons (N1 category). They are known also known as Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) and a rating system has been developed to provide a simple way to compare the performance of the safety systems available on them.

In this round of tests, top achievers, the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Vito and VW Transporter, are awarded Gold. The Ford Transit Custom, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro, Peugeot Expert and the VW Crafter are awarded Silver. Six more vans are given the Bronze award: the Citroën Jumper and the Jumpy, FIAT Ducato, Iveco Daily, Peugeot Boxer and the Toyota PROACE. The FIAT Talento, Opel/Vauxhall Movano, Nissan NV400, the Renault Master and Renault Trafic are not recommended by Euro NCAP due to their general lack of safety systems.

For more info go to Euro NCAP’s 2021 Commercial Van Safety campaign page.

For a full set of results go to Euro NCAP’s Commercial Van Ratings page.