Hyundai NEXO Hydrogen SUV Earns Top Five-Star Safety Rating in Europe
Hyundai NEXO five-star safety was confirmed as the all-new hydrogen-powered SUV from Hyundai Motor Company received the highest five-star rating in the latest European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) safety tests.
The top score underscores Hyundai’s long-term commitment to safety and zero-emission mobility, expanding on recent five-star results achieved by other Hyundai models, including the IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6, and IONIQ 9.
Euro NCAP’s rigorous evaluations cover key safety areas such as adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, vulnerable road user protection (including pedestrians and cyclists), and active safety assist systems. In the testing, NEXO showed exceptional performance across all categories, with the passenger compartment remaining stable in frontal and side impacts and high levels of protection for critical body regions.
The SUV’s advanced safety suite, including systems like automatic emergency call, multi-collision braking, and Hyundai’s SmartSense driver assist technologies, contributed to its strong results. In child protection tests, the vehicle delivered excellent safety scores for both six- and ten-year-old test dummies.
This achievement marks another major milestone in fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) safety as NEXO integrates hydrogen fuel-cell technology with top-tier crash performance and modern active safety features. The vehicle’s success in Europe also reinforces Hyundai’s engineering focus on protecting both occupants and vulnerable road users in collision scenarios. Hyundai News
Editor’s View
The news of Hyundai NEXO five-star safety is more than a badge on an SUV; it’s a signal of where future mobility is heading. Safety evaluations, such as Euro NCAP’s six-point framework, covering adult and child protection, pedestrian and assistive systems, have become critical benchmarks for consumers and fleet buyers alike. When a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle tops this chart, it tells the industry that zero emissions and high safety are increasingly non-negotiable together, not trade-offs. The Korea Times
For the tyre industry, this matters. Vehicles designed to meet the highest safety ratings are increasingly equipped with sensitive active safety electronics, ABS, stability control, and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), which interact closely with tyre performance. Tyres must deliver predictable grip, responsive steering, effective wet braking, and low noise to support these technologies. A hydrogen SUV like NEXO, which pairs robust passive and active safety systems, sets a higher standard for tyres at OE and aftermarket levels.
As advanced safety becomes a selling point, tyre makers that align their products with these requirements, including run-flat, high-grip, and low-rolling-resistance tyres tailored for ADAS and electrified powertrains, stand to gain. In other words, safety scores are not just car news; they shape tyre demand curves, influence specification decisions, and drive innovation in compounds and tread designs for a new era of clean, safe mobility.
