Euro NCAP has officially unveiled its Best-in-Class cars of 2025 to show the safest cars it has test-driven in the last year. The year 2025 has been called the busiest year for the organisation as more new cars have been tested than ever before. Due to the high competition and more intense testing conditions, the Mercedes-Benz CLA was the highest-rated model of 2025, which won the Best Small Family Car award and the Best Performer of 2025 award.
The new generation Mercedes-Benz CLA provided outstanding performance in the four main areas of evaluation established by Euro NCAP. Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist.
The CLA also scored almost the highest in Adult Occupant protection and a class-leading result in Vulnerable Road User safety. Its developedan active bonnet system, and the sophisticated Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) technologies were also part of its success. This is the fruition of a rich history of safety of the model since the previous-generation CLA also won the Best in Class award in the Small Family Car category way back in 2019.
According to Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, who is the Secretary General of the Euro NCAP, the awards will enable consumers to readily recognize the safest cars in the market. He praised Mercedes’ longstanding commitment to safety, stating that the CLA’s victory reflects the brand’s consistent investment in occupant protection technologies.
Tesla Secures Dual Category Wins
Tesla delivered an impressive performance in 2025, with only a small margin between them and Mercedes in total points. The American EV giant claimed two of the largest category wins.
Best Large Family Car: Tesla Model 3
The new Tesla Model 3 still sets the standard for electric family cars. It scored highly in all categories, with a higher score in Child Occupant protection. The score of Safety Assist indicated the further development of the Tesla driver assistance systems.
Best Small SUV: Tesla Model Y
The Model Y strengthened the position of Tesla by taking the leading position in the Small SUV category. It has excelled in Child Occupant and Safety Assist tests, which show that high safety standards can be reached even in high-volume, best-selling models.
Other Winners
All-electric MINI Cooper E became a leader in the City & Supermini category. The MINI was the first with incredible structural crash test scores and high protection scores in spite of its small size.
It has been shown to perform well in terms of giving sufficient occupant protection without reducing the practicality or driving enjoyment by its nature, which is found with smaller vehicles.
The smart #5 received the title of the Best Large SUV of 2025. The smart brand was traditionally associated with compact city cars, so its move to bigger vehicles in the form of SUVs has not compromised safety. The smart #5 also impressed others with its five-star score and great occupant protection scores, which was a very successful brand evolution in the eyes of the Euro NCAP experts.
The Polestar 3 category, which belongs to the executive category, was the safest car in 2025. The high-performance electric SUV achieved great success due to its high structural integrity, superior Child Occupant safety, and high-level driver assistance systems. The consistent approach to innovation in safety remains a factor that keeps Polestar as a legitimate player in the high-end EV market.
