The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) has recently revealed five winners of the Best in Class 2024 awards. This includes categories such as Best Performer, Executive Car, Large Family Car, Small SUV, and Large SUV.
Of the five cars that had the honour of receiving these awards, three of them are also available (or soon to be available) in Malaysia, namely, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, 2024 Zeekr X, and 2024 Mazda CX-80. So let’s take a look at the three cars that are in Malaysia and see what makes them champion material for safety by Euro NCAP’s strict standards.
2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
At the very top of the list, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the double recipient of the Best Performer award, certifying it as the safest car the organisation has tested last year, and Executive Car classes.
While the model tested by Euro NCAP was the E300de diesel hybrid variant, it is also applicable to the E 350 e AMG plug-in hybrid available in Malaysia (branded the E300e from Europe. Meanwhile, the E 200 variant does not have the safety rating applied yet.
There are only two cars listed in the Executive Car class in 2024: The 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the 2024 Zeekr 001, which also has a five-star Euro NCAP rating. The E-Class beats out its only competition with 92% in adult occupancy protection, 90% in child occupancy protection, 84% in vulnerable road users’ protection, and 87% in safety assist systems.
READ: 2024 W214 Mercedes-Benz E200 & E350e launched in Malaysia from RM356k
2024 Zeekr X
The 2024 Zeekr X bags the big win for Small SUV and cements itself as the best in its class. The Chinese carmaker faces off with more competition in this category, particularly against the likes of other major car manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, Volvo, Porsche, and even XPeng.
Nevertheless, the 2024 Zeekr X went above and beyond with its 91% adult occupancy protection, 90% child occupancy protection, 84% vulnerable road users’ protection, and 83% for safety assist systems. These scores shoot the 2024 Zeekr X straight to the top of the list in 2024, beating out the 2024 Volvo EX30 in all areas.
RELATED: CKD 2025 Volvo EX30 now open for booking – 2 variants only, from RM208k
2024 Mazda CX-80
Going one size up to the Large SUV class, the 2024 Mazda CX-80 previewed at KLIMS 2024 ekes out a win against the 2024 Audi Q6 e-tron.
The 2024 Mazda CX-80 faces off some stiff competition against Hyundai, Audi, NIO, and Skoda in this category. Scoring 92% for adult occupancy protection, 88% for child occupancy protection, 84% for vulnerable road users’ protection, and 79% for safety assist systems.
In comparison, the 2024 Audi Q6 e-tron surpasses the CX-80 in child occupancy protection and safety assist systems, while 2024 NIO EL6 scores a slightly higher adult occupancy protection score.
ALSO READ: Mazda CX-80 on preview at KLIMS 2024 – the bigger sibling of the CX-60 with room for 7
