The independent European consumer protection organisation Euro NCAP awarded the new Passat the maximum rating of 5 stars. Thus, the eighth generation of the Passat is also considered to be one of the safest cars in the world. With this outstanding result, the new Passat follows its predecessor, which last earned the highest score in 2010.
Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) has been considered to be the most important standard for vehicle safety since 1997. The requirements were tightened again this year. The new Passat passed the demanding NCAP test series with excellent results – and thanks to a world-class security package consisting of an optimised body structure, a highly effective integrated seatbelt and airbag system and innovative assistance systems.
The overall safety rating of five stars for the new Passat is composed of the results in four sub-areas: occupant protection for adults and children, pedestrian protection and security support.
During the extensive investigations on occupant protection for adults, which include a head-on crash test against an aluminium barrier (at 64 km/h and 40 per cent overlap) as well as a side impact (at 50 km/h in the vehicle structure) and a pole side impact (at 29 km/h), the Passat received 85 per cent of the maximum rating. The new Passat also performed excellently in the important area of child protection and reached over 87 per cent of the attainable point total due to the standard ISOFIX and top tether child seat anchors.
In addition, constructive details of the pedestrian protection in the new Passat were graded; these reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians. These include, for example, the design of the bumper and the bonnet.
In the Euro NCAP assessment of the safety systems, the safety-optimised head restraints, which minimise the risk of neck injuries in a rear-end collision, and seat belt warning systems for all seats were evaluated. The “Front Assist” surroundings monitoring system including the City Emergency Braking, which is available from the Comfortline upwards and was incorporated in the safety systems category, were also assessed positively.
The new Passat has been available now in Germany for a few weeks and has a wide range of series safety equipment. These include driver and front passenger airbags (with front passenger airbag deactivation) and a head airbag system for front and rear passengers including side airbags. In addition, the new Passat has standard series systems on board such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC) including ABS with brake assistant, Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, Tyre Monitoring Indicator and Driver Alert System.
The Volkswagen offer is rounded off by a variety of optionally available assistance systems, which will help to avoid collisions or reduce accident severity: These include PreCrash preventive occupant protection, Traffic Jam Assist, Emergency Assist as well as Trailer Assist (including trailer stabilisation).