The all-electric smart #5 has been awarded the Euro NCAP “Best in Class” Award for Safest Large SUV of 2025. smart’s newest model earned a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating in September with the top overall score among all large SUVs tested in 2025.
In Euro NCAP’s busiest-ever year for testing, the smart #5 stood out with its best-in-class safety performance in the large SUV category. To determine its “Best in Class”, Euro NCAP calculates a weighted sum of the scores from its four assessment areas.
The smart #5 excelled in this rigorous evaluation, scoring 93% for Child Occupant Protection, 92% for Safety Assist, 84% for Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 88% for Adult Occupant Protection. No model across any vehicle class scored higher in the categories of Child Occupant and Safety Assist.
smart’s commitment to safety as a core pillar is proven in the #5’s design and manufacturing. The foundation is its robust passive safety structure – a steel-aluminum hybrid body with 82% high-strength material that forms an exceptionally rigid safety cell. This high-strength coverage is extended beyond the A and B pillars to the side doors and rear openings, and is complemented by seven airbags.
Designed with families in mind, the #5’s cabin accommodates up to three child seats in the rear and an additional ISOFIX anchor on the front passenger seat. Clear markings and broad compatibility with restraints for ages 0–10 make installation safe and easy. The debut of Child Presence Detection (CPD), using millimeter-wave radar to detect minimal movement, alerts drivers or activates countermeasures if a child or pet is left inside the car, protecting against suffocation risks.
The smart #5 embodies the brand’s commitment to “Mindful Technology” – which means innovation designed to reduce risk before incidents occur. Its Autonomous Emergency Braking system, supported by high-resolution cameras and radar, has been extensively validated across diverse traffic and road conditions. Together with Emergency Lane Keep Assist, Driver Monitoring and a 360-degree camera system, the ´advanced active safety features of the smart #5 provide comprehensive protection for vehicle occupants and other road users.
To validate its best-in-class safety, the #5 underwent an extensive testing programme involving over 110 crash-test vehicles, 130 dedicated safety experiments, and millions of kilometres of real-world testing under Euro NCAP, C-NCAP, and C-IASI protocols. The smart #5 joins the smart #1 and the smart #3 with a five-star safety rate, meaning every model in smart’s current product lineup meets Euro NCAP’s highest standard.
Tilo Schweers, Vice President Research &Development smart Europe: “At smart, we uphold the highest standards in developing vehicles, with safety as our top priority. The smart #5 is precisely adapted for European roads, rigorously tested across diverse climates and conditions and comprehensively assessed according to all relevant European safety standards, including active and passive safety systems. We are proud it has been named Safest Large SUV of 2025 and awarded Euro NCAP ‘Best in Class’.”
