The European New Car Assessment programme (Euro NCAP) has been evaluating frontal impact protection since 1997. The current moderate off-set test procedure is based on that used in UN Regulation 94 (R94) but with the addition of child dummies in the rear and more stringent assessment criteria for the occupants.

Until advanced driver assistance systems become more widespread in the market, front and side impacts will continue to dominate the proportion of killed and seriously injured occupants on our roads. However, there is a clear need for a more advanced test to be adopted for the following reasons:​ Accident analyses have highlighted the need for improvements in the way vehicles are assessed in partial overlap frontal impacts, particularly in terms of structural engagement or ‘compatibility’. In addition, the accident related injury pattern has changed over the years and, in addition to the current test configuration, the Hybrid III dummy no longer reflects the current injury situation in crashes nowadays.

In 2015 Euro NCAP announced that the current offset deformable barrier frontal impact test procedure and Hybrid III dummy would both be replaced by 2020 and a frontal impact working group was set-up to address this. The aim was to evaluate the existing research by FIMCAR, ADAC and other organisations into the ‘moving barrier to vehicle’ test and to develop new testing and assessment procedures that include the Thor-M mid-sized male ATD. In partnership with the European Enhanced Vehicle safety Committee (EEVC), Euro NCAP examined the extent to which the Thor-M ATD is suitable for use in both Regulatory and consumer testing programmes.

This paper details the group’s work to date in reviewing real world accident data and existing research on partial overlap frontal impacts. Significant factors highlighted by the accident analyses, including speed, mass and impact overlap, were used to guide the development of a frontal impact test procedure consisting of a moving barrier to car fitted with a progressively deformable honeycomb barrier face. Research into the definition of the Thor-M ATD, in terms of its build level, injury responses and certification procedures, is also included along with proposed assessment criteria. The final phase of work will be a full scale test programme to evaluate the testing and assessment protocols before implementation into the official assessment in 2020.