Genesis takes five stars in latest round of Euro NCAP testing

The new G80 and GV80 from Genesis have both received five-star ratings in the latest series of Euro NCAP crash tests.

Both the Genesis G80 saloon and GV80 SUV are the first models set to arrive in the UK this summer, marking the start of the firm’s presence in Europe having gone on sale in South Korea and the United States some five years earlier.

Thanks to the inclusion of head, chest and centre airbags, the GV80 scored full marks for side impact protection with the G80 saloon ‘only a fraction of a point behind’.

The larger GV80 did lag behind the G80 in terms of pedestrian protection, however, down to the latter’s inclusion of an active bonnet that can cushion a person in the event of an impact. That said, both cars still returned a five-star rating.

Other cars included in the latest bout of testing included the Citroen C4, which returned a four-star rating. It’s the first car from the newly-formed Stellantis Group to be tested by Euro NCAP, with its adult occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assistance systems just failing to hit the five-star mark.

Michiel van Ratingen, secretary General of Euro NCAP, said: “These remain difficult times for the car industry, with the pandemic and semiconductor shortage presenting big challenges.

“Still, Genesis has managed to bring two cars to the market which offer excellent, all-round robust safety performance.

“Citroën chalked up a respectable four-star rating for the new C4 models, but still left us with the impression that with some more careful engineering it could have been much better.”