Larger vehicles like sport-utility vehicles generally fare better in road crashes because of the sheer size of the things.

In the case of the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport, these two have the numbers to back that theory up.

Land Rover Philippines announced in a December 2022 press statement that the two ultra-luxury SUVs got five out of five stars in the European New Car Assessment Programme’s (Euro NCAP) latest crash tests.

A five-star rating signifies that a vehicle possesses “overall excellent performance in crash protection and well equipped with comprehensive and robust crash avoidance technology,” according to Euro NCAP.

Each star rating is based on how a car performs in frontal-impact and side-impact tests with a deformable barrier, along with measurements of how much a vehicle can injure pedestrians and avoid collisions using active safety systems.

The ratings are updated every six or so years to accommodate advances in automotive safety.

Here’s the breakdown of the ratings for the two British SUVs:

Euro NCAP docked a few points for both models because these would be an “aggressive impact partner” in a frontal collision. 

This means other vehicles would be severely damaged in a head-on crash with either of the two-ton SUVs.

More than 50 years of engineering experience

Jaguar Land Rover executive director of product engineering Thomas Mueller said the Euro NCAP results are a result of more than five decades of design and engineering of the Range Rover.

The first Range Rover debuted in 1969 and has gone through five generations. Meanwhile, the smaller Range Rover Sport debuted in 2004 and is now on its third generation.

“Our strong, mixed metal MLA-Flex body architecture provides solid foundations for a suite of cutting-edge active safety systems such as Autonomous Emergency Braking that, combined, work in harmony to protect occupants and other road users,” Mueller said.

MLA-Flex refers to the Modular Longitudinal Architecture chassis that both SUVs use. Aside from accommodating active safety systems, the frame of the new Range Rover is up to 50 percent stiffer than its predecessor. In comparison, the Range Rover Sport is 35 percent stiffer than before.

Both the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport also come standard with Active Driver Assistance Systems that include:

• Autonomous Emergency Braking

• Lane Keep Assist

• Driver Condition Response – brings the vehicle to a halt and turns on the hazard warning lights if the driver fails to respond to a series of audiovisual prompts

• Rear Collision Monitor with Occupant Protection Assist

• Pre-emptive suspension – the suspension automatically switches to Dynamic mode when the Forward Collision Warning system detects a collision risk, assisting the driver if evasive maneuvers are required by delivering the most agile responses.

• Adaptive Cruise Control and Steering Assist

• Park Assist 

Saving lives for over 25 years

Euro NCAP is a voluntary, non-profit car safety assessment program based in Belgium that was established in 1996.

Although car manufacturers are not mandated to participate, getting a five-star rating from the extremely stringent tests is a powerful marketing tool, especially for safety-conscious car buyers.

Similar programs have also been set up in other parts of the world, including ASEAN NCAP, Latin NCAP, Global NCAP, and the independent test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

What do you think of the new Range Rover’s crash figures?