For more than 25 years the German Automobile Club ADAC is conducting tests to show the consumers and Industry the compatibility of passenger cars. With the upcoming off road vehicles in the 90´s, the structural and mass difference between the compact and the small executive cars according the Off roaders was huge. The geometries in the vehicle front structures were totally different and did not align in case of a frontal impact. In combination with less performing structures for offset crashes the outcome in a car to car offset frontal impact tests was dramatically worse. Not only the smaller and lighter car showed poor performance also the crash structure of the large off roader failed. A decade later the passenger cars have become much safer due to consumer test programs and regulatory demands. But still these cars are showing a different behaviour in a car to car impact than in a car to barrier impact.

The different results of ODB tests, car to car impacts and the accident analyse showed that there is a need to find a test solution which will show this performance in a full size crash and allow analysing and rating the result. Several tests with vehicles, barriers and different test conditions have been carried out to find a solution to reproduce real life behaviour and a possibility to rate the vehicle according its aggressiveness and compatibility, which lead to a mobile barrier solution with a progressive deformable element.