Hyundai Motor's (005380.KS) hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle "The All-New Nexo" has proven its world-class safety, the same model that recently drew attention when broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk, known as a Porsche owner, revealed he "actually drives" the vehicle.
Hyundai Motor announced Wednesday that the Nexo earned the highest rating of five stars (★★★★★) in the Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme).
Euro NCAP, established in 1997, conducts annual safety verification tests on vehicles sold in Europe and assigns ratings. The evaluation covers four categories: adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection, and safety assist systems.
Euro NCAP praised the Nexo for maintaining stable passenger compartment integrity during frontal and side collisions, effectively protecting occupants' vital body parts, and incorporating measures to reduce the risk of injury between passengers.
In adult occupant protection, the front seat and headrest performance proved excellent, effectively reducing the risk of cervical spine injuries in rear-end collisions. In child occupant protection, the vehicle achieved top scores by protecting all vital body parts of 6-year-old and 10-year-old test dummies in frontal and side crash tests.
The vehicle also received high marks for its system that automatically alerts emergency rescue centers in case of an accident and its multi-collision prevention automatic braking system that prevents secondary accidents after an initial collision. The Nexo was also confirmed to have functions allowing doors and windows to open so occupants can escape in flooding situations.
The automatic emergency braking (AEB) system also demonstrated excellent performance in pedestrian recognition tests, earning high marks for its response to cyclists, motorcyclists, and other vehicles.
With this result, Hyundai Motor has now earned Euro NCAP's top rating for its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle Nexo, following its dedicated electric vehicles including the Ioniq 5 in 2021, Ioniq 6 in 2022, and Ioniq 9 unveiled in September this year. The second-generation Nexo continues the top rating achieved by the first-generation model in 2018, which was the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to receive five stars.
"This top rating for Nexo reaffirms Hyundai Motor's commitment to developing safe vehicles," a Hyundai Motor official said. "We will continue to do our best to provide customers with vehicles that meet the highest global standards of safety and product quality."
