Euro NCAP names Best-in-Class cars tested in 2025

Euro NCAP has revealed its Best-in-Class cars of 2025 – the safest models its experts tested over the past year.

In a year defined by a dramatic increase in the variety of new electric cars available to consumers and the fitment of sophisticated autonomous safety systems, the results show that carmakers are successfully navigating a changing automotive landscape while meeting the challenge of Euro NCAP’s robust testing protocols.

During Euro NCAP’s busiest year to date, with more new cars tested than at any other time, the highest-scoring car was the Mercedes-Benz CLA, which topped the Small Family Car category and earned the title of Best Performer of 2025.

Scoring strongly across all four assessment areas – Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User, and Safety Assist – the CLA set a benchmark for safety in the compact premium segment last year. And it continues a trend started in 2019, when the previous-generation CLA was awarded Best in Class for the Small Family Car category.

The other top performers of 2025 are the MINI Cooper E, Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, smart #5, and Polestar 3.

To define the ‘Best in Class,’ a calculation is made of the weighted sum of the scores in the four areas of assessment: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User, and Safety Assist. Only vehicles with standard safety equipment are eligible for the award, and they must have achieved a five-star Euro NCAP rating.

Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP, says the Best-in-Class awards “help drivers choose the safest car for their needs”.

“Euro NCAP names its Best-in-Class cars to help consumers easily identify the highest-performing cars that the organisation has evaluated over the past year. 2025 has had its challenges, but despite this, it has been pleasing to observe that the car industry has remained committed to improving vehicle safety.

“Mercedes has a long-standing belief in investing in vehicle safety, so it feels appropriate for the CLA to earn the title of 2025’s Best Performer, as well as Best Small Family Car.

“It was a close-run competition, however. Tesla was only fractionally behind, and new entrants like firefly and Leapmotor show how global competition continues to grow, which can only be a good thing for consumers who value safety as much as style, practicality, driving performance, and running costs from their next car,” he said.