Among existing motorcycle helmet test methods the FMVSS 218 also called DOT and the ECE R2205 are the most communally concerned. It is interesting to observe that the pass/fail criteria for these two key standards are different for the same human head. In this context the present paper suggests comparison and evaluation of these two standards in terms of human head protection level expressed in terms of computed axonal strain induced by pulses that fulfill DOT on the one hand and ECE on the other. A total of 24 pulses have been generated and simulated with a head FE model that permits assessment of the axon strain at the time of impact. The computation of axon strains and brain injury risk for the two different pulse groups showed that the axonal strains are significantly higher for the DOT‐pulses than for the ECE‐pulses. It is the first time that two different motorcycle helmet standards are compared and evaluated in terms of brain injury risk based on the extreme pulses that fulfil respectively one standard and the other.