Euro NCAP has been one of the leaders in car safety for many years now, providing easy-to-read ratings based on stringent crash tests which showcase where cars do well and where they do badly in terms of outright safety.
However, with the increasing emphasis on how emissions-friendly new cars are, a new Green NCAP division has been created to relay key information about the key things people need to know when it comes to efficiency and how environmentally friendly these cars are. Let’s take a look at what it does.
So what does Green NCAP actually do?
Green NCAP has been introduced to help promote cleaner and more efficient cars being developed. By showcasing the very greenest electric and hybrid vehicles, it puts the onus on manufacturers to create even better vehicles.
Essentially, it shows how ‘green’ a car is in the real world. In much the same vein as Euro NCAP’s crash tests, how well a car does is then showcased via a star rating.
So what does the star rating show?
The star rating signifies how well a car has performed in efficiency tests. Cars which return a high rating have performed well in three key areas - Clean Air, Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gases. Scores range from zero to five stars.
What would a zero-star rating mean?
A car which scored zero stars would just meet standard regulations for emissions, though would feature outdated fuel-saving technology.
And a five-star car?
A five star would have performed well across the board and showcase low fuel or energy consumption as well as low emissions.
How do they judge the cars?
The best way to know how the cars have been evaluated is via the indexes provided by Green NCAP. They’re scored out of ten, giving a clear visual key as to how good or bad each has done. The first is the Clean Air Index
What’s the Clean Air Index?
The Clean Air Index rates how well a vehicle has performed when it comes to removing pollutant emissions. A high rating indicates a well-performing car, or one which produces the lowest possible emissions. Up next is the Energy Efficiency Index.
What does the Energy Efficiency Index tell us?
The Energy Efficiency Index shows how well a car converts energy into propulsion. This is for electric cars and shows how well it is using its battery. A high rating shows that just a small amount of energy is required to travel a certain distance. Finally, there’s the Greenhouse Gas Index.
But what does the Greenhouse Gas Index show?
Green NCAP says that it monitors the emissions of so-called greenhouse gases which contribute to making the Earth’s atmosphere warmer. It’s through these tests that it is able to see how much a car is having an impact on the environment.
Has Green NCAP tested many cars?
Since it is still relatively in its infancy, Green NCAP doesn’t have a huge back catalogue of ratings to go off. Still, as it continues to test new vehicles to analyse their efficiency, it’s certain that more cars will get their ratings.