Euro NCAP is sharpening its safety pencil. The organization behind the star ratings brands love to boast about is rolling out a huge shake-up of its testing program for 2026 that includes a crackdown on those annoying ADAS warnings that plague modern cars.

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The reboot splits vehicle safety into four clear stages: Safe Driving, Crash Avoidance, Crash Protection and Post-Crash Safety. Each category gets its own score and star ratings will depend on strong performance across all of them.

The idea is that cars must keep you out of trouble, protect you when things go wrong, and then help rescuers get you out quickly.

What Changes on the Road?

One of the most headline-grabbing updates addresses a problem that has led to genuine tragedies. Electric vehicles with pop-out or powered door handles will now be required to keep those handles working even after a crash.

Fire crews have repeatedly complained that some EVs lock up after an impact and refuse to open, which slows rescues and in extreme cases costs lives. Euro NCAP wants that fixed – and soon.

Driver assistance systems are also getting a long overdue reality check. Until now most ADAS evaluations happened on a closed track where systems behaved like model citizens.

Out on actual roads things are rather different. Automatic lane-keeping can yank the wheel when you least expect it and constant beeps and bongs send drivers rushing for the off switch, defeating the whole point of the safety gear.

Rewards for Buttons

From 2026 cars will earn extra points for advanced driver-monitoring systems that genuinely keep tabs on a distracted driver rather than perform glorified blink detection. They can even gain credit if they can spot signs of alcohol or drug impairment and take action.

Meanwhile a long awaited change will finally reward cars that keep proper physical buttons for common controls. After years of touchscreen everything, drivers have made their frustration extremely clear.

Related: EU Regulators Say Drivers Are Dying Inside Cars With Electric Door Handles

Crash avoidance tests will expand to include more realistic scenarios that involve motorcyclists, cyclists and urban hazards.

Smoothness matters, too. Lane support that darts the wheel like a nervous cat will lose points even if it technically avoids an impact, and there will be rewards for vehicles that recognize when a driver presses the gas pedal when they meant to hit the brake.

Different Dummies

Crash protection also gets more granular. Dummies with different body shapes ages and sizes will be used to reflect the people who actually sit in cars, echoing a move happening in US crash testing.

And simulations and sled tests will support full crashes for better accuracy, giving more detail about side-impact protection and the risk to pedestrians posed by structural areas like the windshield.

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Finally, the post-crash stage receives a modern boost with new rules for EV battery isolation, those flush handles rules we mentioned earlier, and automated SOS functions that must tell first responders how many people were in the car, even if seatbelts were not buckled.

Electric cars must also be able to warn drivers about battery-fire risks even after a crash.

The new protocols represent the biggest overhaul of NCAP testing since 2009, but we won’t have to wait another 17 years for the next big refresh. The organization says it will update its protocols every three years from 2026, a decision that reflects just how quickly assistance tech is evolving on new cars.

The first images of the new MG S6 EV have surfaced online, and somewhat amusingly, the source isn’t the automaker itself or but from Euro NCAP. The safety testing authority has unwittingly given us our first proper glimpse of the upcoming SUV.

Read: MG Just Declared War On The Ranger And Hilux With New Truck

MG has yet to release official photographs of the model, but its inclusion in Euro NCAP’s latest batch of crash-tested vehicles means we now have a reasonably clear look at its design, even if most of the images show it in a rather battered state.

It’s not easy to design an SUV that looks good, but MG has had a decent crack and it’s done quite well. The front end is very similar to the smaller S5 and includes the same small, split front grille positioned at the very base of the bumper.

It has also been showcased with LED daytime running lights and separate headlamps housed within triangular-shaped elements.

The rear-end is also quite sleek, although the shape of the taillights and the light bar does remind us of the Mercedes-Benz EQA, albeit with more complex lighting signatures. Other intriguing elements include the blacked-out bumper and the sharp diffuser.

What About The Interior?

We don’t yet have official images of the MG S6’s interior, but the Euro NCAP crash tests offer a few revealing glimpses. Between shots of airbags deploying into crash dummies, you can spot a squared-off steering wheel, a sizable central infotainment screen, and a head-up display perched above the dashboard.

Safety and Specifications

On the safety front, the MG S6 EV scored a full five stars from Euro NCAP, earning 92 percent for adult protection, 85 percent for child protection, 84 percent for vulnerable road users, and 78 percent for its suite of driver-assist technologies.

While the report doesn’t go into drivetrain specifics, it does confirm that both two-wheel and four-wheel-drive variants are planned.

It’s likely that the S6 will share the same single-motor, rear-wheel-drive setup as the S5, producing 228 hp and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque. The all-wheel-drive version is expected to add a secondary motor up front, creating a dual-motor configuration with a balanced output and broader appeal.

A full reveal is expected soon, as MG officials have already confirmed that the launch is scheduled for the end of November.

If their slick tech features have convinced you that Chinese cars are finally a match for Western rivals, Euro NCAP’s latest test results might make you think again. While some Chinese cars really are as good as the competition, one new small Asian EV has just flunked an important European crash test that its rivals all aced.

More: Your Next Car Might Not Be As Safe As It Could Have Been

The car in question is Dongfeng’s Nammi Box, a small hatchback that’s broadly equivalent to a Renault 5 or BYD Dolphin. But while those cars were awarded four and five stars respectively after being run through Euro NCAP’s crash test mill, the Box scored just three stars.

Safety Reality Check

Multiple spot-welds failed during the offset front impact test, increasing the risk of deformation around the cabin and reducing protection for occupants, the safety organization reported.

The test, which is performed at 31 mph (50 kmh) and with a 50 percent overlap against a deformable barrier on an oncoming 3,090 lbs (1,400 kg) sled, also traveling at 31 mph, is designed to replicate the kind of collision that is responsible for the most road deaths and serious injuries.

And a compromised body structure wasn’t the only black mark against the Box. Insufficient pressure in the steering wheel airbag meant the driver’s head still managed to make contact with the wheel.

Design Flaws Under Pressure

Just as worrying, the doors failed to automatically unlock, which could prevent first responders from helping injured passengers.

Euro NCAP additionally criticized China’s state-owned Dongfeng for not providing any kind of safety aid to prevent front seat passengers from bashing into each other in a side impact collision.

Summing up, the testers awarded the Box just 69 percent for adult occupant protection and 67 percent for vulnerable road user protection, numbers that place it well below most modern small EVs on sale in Europe.

“The Dongfeng BOX doesn’t match the safety performance of other small EVs tested by Euro NCAP,” said the organization in a statement. “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,” it added.

Euro NCAP

In Dongfeng’s defense, it wasn’t the only small hatchback to receive a feeble three-star rating. So did VW’s ancient T-Cross crossover, which is a bit of an outlier. Other VW Group products like the Audi Q3, Skoda Octavia, and VW Golf all achieved a maximum five-star rating.

As did China’s Chery Tiggo 7 and 8. The SUVs were marked down in a previous test for a problem with their rear curtain airbags, but Chery then redesigned the system.

It performed as planned during the re-test, earning Chery five stars, reminding us that there’s still a big safety difference between the best and worst-performing Chinese cars.

Euro NCAP/Dongfeng