Nio ET5 and ES7 ace the updated Euro NCAP

12 July 2023

The Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio is on a safety-ratings roll. The company's newest offerings, the ET5 sedan and ES7 SUV (known to us Europeans as the EL7), just aced their latest tests like they've been hitting the safety textbooks all night.

Fresh off the Euro NCAP website, we find that the ET5 and EL7 are the only two 2023 graduates so far with the 5-star results. And mind you, this isn't the Euro NCAP that we all know - this is the updated 2023 version. These tests are no joke, with much harsher penalties now for underperforming vehicles in adult occupant protection.

The ET5 led the pack with scores that would make any established car company proud: 96% in Adult Occupant protection, 85% in Child Occupant, 83% for Vulnerable Road Users, and 81% in Safety Assist. The EL7 didn't disappoint either, scoring 93% in Adult Occupant, 85% in Child Occupant, 80% for Vulnerable Road Users, and 79% in Safety Assist.

Now, it might be tempting to put these numbers side-by-side with previous years, say, Tesla's Model S 5-star performance last year. But as Euro NCAP themselves have pointed out, it's not really apples to apples. Or in our case, EVs to EVs. That said, we'd be remiss not to mention that the Model S managed to achieve 94% in Adult Occupant, 91% in Child Occupant, 85% for Vulnerable Road Users, and a whopping 98% in Safety Assist.

The ET5, Nio's budget-friendly sedan, made its debut in China on Nio Day 2021. The first lucky owners got their hands on the ET5 on September 30, 2022, with Europeans owners getting their cars by March 31 of this year.

The ES7, or the EL7 as we know it here in Europe, took its first bow in China on June 15, 2022, with the first deliveries happening on August 28. However, thanks to a minor detour involving a lawsuit by Audi, the SUV took on the EL7 moniker for its European debut, which took place in October 2022.

Let's not forget the Nio ET7, Nio's first electric sedan, launched on Nio Day 2020, the ET7 was the first in the family to earn its Euro NCAP safety laurels in November 2022, with scores of 91% in Adult Occupant, 87% in Child Occupant, 73% for Vulnerable Road Users, and 95% in Safety Assist.

It's pretty clear that Nio is setting its sights high, targeting the premium segment and crafting vehicles that aren't just environmentally friendly, but also incredibly safe. While we all appreciate a good EV hype, let's not forget the importance of safety. After all, what's a fancy EV worth if it can't protect its precious cargo?

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