A car’s safety performance matters beyond the people sitting inside it. Pedestrians and cyclists have little physical protection when a collision occurs, making a vehicle’s front-end design and automatic emergency braking systems particularly important.
Euro NCAP assesses these risks through its Vulnerable Road User category, which combines impact protection with technologies designed to detect and avoid hitting pedestrians and cyclists.
The seven cars in this list recorded some of the strongest published results in recent assessments. Their scores reflect European test specifications and years, so they should not be treated as direct U.S. safety ratings or guarantees of real-world outcomes.
1. Mercedes-Benz CLA: 93% Vulnerable Road User Protection
The Mercedes-Benz CLA achieved 93% in Euro NCAP’s Vulnerable Road User category in its 2025 assessment, placing it among the strongest performers for protecting people outside the vehicle.
The new-generation compact luxury car also recorded 94% for adult occupant protection, 89% for child occupant protection, and 85% for safety assist, earning a five-star rating.
That 93% figure represents more than the softness of the front bumper or bonnet. Euro NCAP evaluates how the vehicle’s front end manages impacts involving pedestrians while also testing systems designed to prevent collisions.
Automatic emergency braking can be particularly valuable when a driver fails to react quickly enough to someone crossing the road or walking near the vehicle’s path.
The CLA’s results stand out because its pedestrian-related score sits alongside strong occupant protection. However, the category also includes cyclist protection, so the 93% should not be interpreted as a pedestrian-only impact score.
Nor does it mean the car can prevent every collision. Performance depends on circumstances such as speed, lighting, road layout, and whether the detection system can identify the person in time.
For U.S. buyers, an important caveat is that Euro NCAP evaluates European-market vehicles using its own testing protocols. Features and specifications may differ from those of U.S. models, so the reported percentage should not be interpreted as an official U.S. crash-test rating.
Even with those qualifications, the CLA provides a useful example of how modern vehicle safety combines structural design with active collision avoidance. Its result shows why pedestrian protection deserves attention alongside traditional occupant crash-test scores.
2. Mazda CX-5: 93% Vulnerable Road User Protection
The Mazda CX-5 matched the highest published score in this selection, achieving 93% for vulnerable road user protection in Euro NCAP’s December 2025 results.
It also earned a five-star rating, with 90% for adult occupant protection, 89% for child occupant protection, and 83% for safety assist. These results place pedestrian and cyclist protection among the vehicle’s strongest assessed areas.
The CX-5 is a family SUV, making its front-end design and collision-avoidance technology particularly relevant in everyday settings. Pedestrians may cross in front of a vehicle at junctions, walk beside parked cars, or enter its path in heavy urban traffic.
Euro NCAP evaluates how vehicles protect vulnerable road users during impacts and how effectively their safety systems respond to potential collisions.
Its 93% score reflects the combined Vulnerable Road User assessment, not a claim that the SUV protects pedestrians perfectly in every crash. The category also covers cyclists and includes active safety performance.
A high result therefore indicates strong performance across the prescribed tests, but it cannot guarantee that an emergency braking system will prevent every impact.
The CX-5’s score is especially useful when comparing vehicles assessed under the same general testing framework. However, Euro NCAP updates its protocols, and results from different years should not automatically be treated as directly equivalent. Buyers should also verify the specification and model year associated with the rating.
For American shoppers, the European result is a useful reference rather than a U.S. safety certification. Equipment and vehicle specifications can differ by market. The CX-5 nevertheless demonstrates how a mainstream family SUV can achieve a high score in a category that assesses safety for people outside the vehicle, not just its occupants.
3. Volkswagen T-Roc: 87% Vulnerable Road User Protection
The Volkswagen T-Roc recorded 87% for vulnerable road user protection in Euro NCAP’s December 2025 assessment.
The compact SUV also achieved 91% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupant protection, and 77% for safety assist, earning five stars. Its pedestrian-related result places it among the stronger performers in the latest group of tested vehicles.
The T-Roc’s result is relevant because compact SUVs are often used in crowded urban environments, where pedestrians may cross between vehicles and cyclists share space with traffic.
Euro NCAP evaluates both the consequences of an impact and the vehicle’s ability to help prevent one. The vulnerable road user category therefore measures more than the shape of the bonnet or front bumper.
A high percentage does not mean the T-Roc can avoid every pedestrian collision. Emergency braking performance depends on factors such as the vehicle’s speed, the pedestrian’s movement, and whether the system detects the person in time.
The score reflects results under specified laboratory and track conditions, not a guarantee for every road situation.
The T-Roc’s other scores provide useful context. Its 87% adult and child occupant results show that the vehicle also performed well in protecting people inside the cabin. Its lower 77% safety-assist score illustrates that the four assessment categories measure different aspects of vehicle safety.
For U.S. buyers, this result is not a direct American safety rating. The score relates to the European model tested in 2025, and the equipment or specifications may differ by market. Nevertheless, the T-Roc demonstrates how a mainstream compact SUV can achieve a strong result for people outside the vehicle.
4. Tesla Model 3: 89% Vulnerable Road User Protection
The Tesla Model 3 recorded 89% for vulnerable road user protection in its 2025 Euro NCAP assessment. The electric sedan also scored 90% for adult occupant protection, 93% for child occupant protection, and 87% for safety assist.
It received a five-star rating, reflecting performance across all four categories rather than its pedestrian-related result alone.
The Model 3’s score reflects the combination of impact protection and systems intended to reduce collisions with pedestrians and cyclists. Automatic emergency braking is an important part of this assessment because a driver may not always notice a person entering the vehicle’s path quickly enough to react.
The distinction between impact protection and collision avoidance is important. A car can have a front end designed to reduce injuries, but the best outcome is to prevent the collision in the first place.
Euro NCAP’s vulnerable road user category assesses both aspects, so its percentage should not be read as a simple measure of how soft the bonnet is or how much damage a pedestrian would sustain in every impact.
The Model 3 also recorded a high child occupant score of 93%, although that category evaluates a different group of safety concerns. Keeping these figures separate helps shoppers compare a vehicle’s specific strengths instead of relying on a single headline rating.
This assessment applies to the European specification tested by Euro NCAP. U.S.-market equipment and software may differ, so American buyers should consult local safety information before using the figure to compare vehicles.
The 89% result is strong evidence of performance in the specified tests, but it cannot guarantee that every pedestrian or cyclist collision will be avoided.
5. Geely Starray EM-i: 86% Vulnerable Road User Protection
The Geely Starray EM-i achieved 86% for vulnerable road user protection in Euro NCAP’s December 2025 results.
The plug-in hybrid SUV also scored 90% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupant protection, and 77% for safety assist. Its five-star rating reflects the combined assessment, while the 86% figure focuses on safety for people outside the vehicle.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles combine electric driving capability with a combustion engine, but that powertrain arrangement does not determine pedestrian safety by itself. The vulnerable road user score is based on the tested vehicle’s performance in impact-protection assessments and systems intended to prevent or mitigate collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists.
The Starray EM-i’s result is useful for shoppers comparing electrified family SUVs. It shows that a vehicle’s safety assessment extends beyond protecting its own occupants. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle has little external protection, so front-end impact characteristics and emergency braking systems are important parts of the evaluation.
Still, an 86% score should not be interpreted as an 86% chance of avoiding a collision or as a promise of a particular injury outcome.
Euro NCAP combines several test results into a category percentage, and the result does not predict what will happen in every real-world incident. Road conditions, speed, and the movement of other road users can all affect the outcome.
The Starray EM-i was assessed in Europe, and its result should not be presented as a U.S. crash-test score. Specifications and safety equipment can differ between markets.
Buyers should check the exact vehicle and available driver-assistance systems before drawing comparisons. Its published score nevertheless places it among the notable vulnerable-road-user performers in the 2025 test group.
6. MG4 EV Urban: 85% Vulnerable Road User Protection
The MG4 EV Urban recorded 85% for vulnerable road user protection in Euro NCAP’s December 2025 assessment. Its other category scores were 87% for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupant protection, and 80% for safety assist.
The model received five stars, with its pedestrian and cyclist protection result standing out among its category scores.
The MG4 EV Urban is an electric passenger car, and its result highlights how safety technology is assessed alongside the vehicle’s physical design.
Euro NCAP evaluates the front end’s impact performance and the ability of systems such as autonomous emergency braking to respond to vulnerable road users. These tests address different stages of a potential collision: reducing the likelihood of impact and limiting harm if one occurs.
The score is particularly useful when comparing vehicles assessed in the same test period. Euro NCAP regularly revises its protocols, so an 85% result from a recent assessment should not automatically be ranked against an identical percentage from a much older test as though the requirements were unchanged.
Nor does the figure mean that every pedestrian collision will result in less severe injuries. The percentage summarizes performance in a defined set of tests. Actual outcomes depend on variables including impact speed, road conditions, the pedestrian’s position and whether the vehicle’s safety systems recognize the hazard.
U.S. buyers should also be cautious about applying the rating to vehicles sold locally. Euro NCAP results concern European-market specifications, and availability or equipment can vary across countries.
Even so, the MG4 EV Urban’s 85% score makes it a relevant example of an electric car with a strong assessed performance in protecting people outside the vehicle.
7. Toyota Yaris Cross: 83% Vulnerable Road User Protection
The Toyota Yaris Cross achieved 83% for vulnerable road user protection in Euro NCAP’s December 2025 results. The small SUV received four stars, with category scores of 79% for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupant protection and 76% for safety assist.
Its pedestrian-related score was therefore stronger than its adult occupant and safety-assist results.
This result demonstrates why it is useful to look beyond a vehicle’s star rating. The Yaris Cross did not achieve five stars in this assessment, but its 83% vulnerable road user score still indicates a comparatively strong performance in that particular category.
The overall rating combines multiple safety areas, so a vehicle can perform well in one category while losing ground in another.
For pedestrians and cyclists, the category matters because it considers the potential consequences of a collision and the effectiveness of technology designed to help avoid one. However, the 83% figure does not mean the SUV prevents 83% of pedestrian crashes. It is a score derived from Euro NCAP’s specified tests and assessment rules.
The Yaris Cross is a compact vehicle, but size alone does not determine pedestrian safety. The design of the front end, the performance of emergency braking and the conditions under which a person is detected all influence the result.
A high category score should therefore be considered alongside the other published results, rather than treated as a complete measure of safety.
The assessment applies to the European vehicle tested in 2025. Equipment and specifications can differ in the United States, and the four-star rating should not be transferred automatically to a different model year or market.
The Yaris Cross closes this list as an example of a small SUV whose pedestrian-related score deserves attention even though its combined star rating was lower than some of the other vehicles featured.
