Trucks
Trucks
In Euro NCAP’s first ever safety tests for heavy-duty trucks, only two models received the maximum score of five stars – the Volvo FH Aero and the Volvo FM. What does it take to get the highest score? And what is actually tested?
The European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP), based in Belgium, was first established in 1996 and quickly became the European industry standard for assessing the safety of passenger cars. It is supported by multiple European governments, including the European Union.
Now Euro NCAP has begun testing heavy-duty trucks as well, with the with the first results released in November 2024. Nine different trucks from seven manufacturers were tested, and the Volvo FH Aero and Volvo FM both scored five stars.
It is important to note that in these first rounds of testing, Euro NCAP evaluates a wide range of safety systems, such as collision warning and cruise control. These systems are designed to support the driver and prevent accidents from happening in the first place.
In these first round of tests, Euro NCAP put all trucks through a wide range of different scenarios where they would be given a performance score based on how well the systems handled the situation, from 0-100%.
The safety systems are then grouped into three areas: safe driving, collision avoidance and post-crash. To get five stars, a performance score of at least 80% is required in all three areas.
In the area of safe driving, the Volvo FH Aero and Volvo FM achieved 80% and 90% respectively. This was largely because of the direct vision – in other words, how well the driver can see what is happening in front and at the side of the truck. This was made possible by the design of the cabs and new cameras, which has replaced the rearview mirrors on the newer truck models.
The Volvo FM scored even higher than the FH Aero due to the lower position of the driver seat, which enables a better view of the area directly adjacent to the front of the truck.
When testing the systems designed to avoid collisions, both trucks scored 89%, thanks to Volvo Trucks’ emergency brake and lane keeping systems. The systems are designed to detect objects and automatically brake or steer you back into the right lane. For example, the system automatically activates the brakes when a car in front of the trucks suddenly brakes when pedestrians are in the truck’s vicinity.
Euro NCAP evaluates each system by testing it in more than a hundred different traffic scenarios. Volvo Trucks’ Collision Warning with Emergency Brake system performed particularly well, avoided a collision – with both passenger cars and pedestrians and cyclists – in nearly every scenario assessed.
Only two truck manufacturers offered automatic braking to protect cyclists when the truck is turning towards the passenger side. Volvo Trucks’ calls this system “Active Side Collision Avoidance Support”. An innovation that Euro NCAP described as ‘a potential game changer’ as it addresses a common safety hazard in urban areas: cyclists hidden in the blind spot of the truck.
In addition, Euro NCAP gave both the Volvo FH Aero and the Volvo FM its City Safe award due to their good direct vision and good performance of their active safety systems in protecting people in city traffic situations.
Also, it is important to say that these results don’t mean that
we are at the end of our journey. Volvo Trucks’ vision is zero-
accidents – so we’ll continue our work to develop solutions
that make our trucks even safer.
Overall, Volvo Trucks believes that the main reason for achieving five stars is in its safety mindset.
“We always aim to develop safety systems that are designed to work in a wide variety of traffic scenarios. From highways to city streets. This mindset is shared with Euro NCAP, who also test safety systems across many different scenarios, to truly evaluate how safe our trucks really are”, says Anna Wrige Berling.
She continues: “This is proof of our consistent efforts to go beyond what is required by legislation, towards our vision of zero accidents involving our trucks. Euro NCAP ratings will guide customers in their purchase decisions as well as challenge vehicle manufacturers to continuously work to improve safety.”
"Also, it is important to say that these results don’t mean that we are at the end of our journey. Volvo Trucks vision is zero-accidents – so we’ll continue our work to develop solutions that make our trucks even safer”, says Anna Wrige Berling.
“We are excited to see our efforts in safety scrutinized by Euro NCAP,” says Anna Wrige Berling, Safety Director at Volvo Trucks. “This is the first time an external, independent organization has put the safety of heavy-duty trucks to the test and analyzed their safety performance. Volvo has long been renowned for its commitment to safety, and it’s embedded in the company’s heritage. Now, the results of all those efforts have been validated by the new Euro NCAP ratings”, she concludes.