Following Euro NCAP safety assessments, both the mid-size Genesis GV80 SUV and the G80 executive saloon have achieved five-star crash ratings.
Both vehicles scored 91% for Adult Occupancy, providing excellent protection for the heads and bodies of crash dummies during impact testing. In the Safety Assist category, the G80 scored higher at 91%, with the GV80 at 88%, and they both scored top marks for Child Occupant safety.
Genesis has “aced it”, according to Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham Research and Euro NCAP board member: “Particularly in terms of protection offered in the event of a lateral impact. These are two of the strongest performers to have been tested since new impact test protocols were introduced in 2020.”
Both vehicles feature a center airbag to protect passengers against occupant-to-occupant injuries in the event of a side impact, and during this test the GV80 scored full marks – the highest achieved this year.
However, when the rear impact whiplash protection assessment was conducted, the results showed the cars slightly underperformed. Tests were carried out using geometric assessment, and the subsequent results indicated that both the GV80 and the G80 provided only marginal whiplash protection in a rear impact scenario.
The cars feature crash avoidance systems such as car-to-car, pedestrian and cyclist autonomous emergency braking (AEB). A driver attention warning system monitors steering patterns to check for inattentive drivers.
“This is the first time we’ve seen the Genesis brand in the UK and it is certainly a great launch from a safety perspective for these two models,” commented Avery.