China's BYD wins five-star European safety rating for electric SUV

LONDON — BYD on Wednesday received a coveted five-star Euro NCAP safety rating for its electric ATTO 3 crossover SUV, the latest Chinese carmaker to receive top marks as it seeks to gain a foothold in Europe's competitive car market.

Two other Chinese-made cars — the eCitroën C5 X, built by a joint venture between Stellantis and Dongfeng and the Mobilize Limo, an electric sedan made by Renault together with Jiangling Motors — received four-star ratings.

Ratings from the European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) are not binding, as it does not certify vehicles for road use. But European consumers pay attention to Euro NCAP's safety tests, and carmakers aggressively market good ratings.

Last month Chinese rival Great Wall Motor received five-star ratings for its WEY brand Coffee 01 hybrid SUV and its ORA brand Funky Cat electric sedan (respectively, below).

Just this week BYD launched the ATTO 3 in India, which sells in China as the Yuan Plus.

Last week, German car rental company Sixt said it has committed to buying around 100,000 electric vehicles from China's BYD in the coming years.

Among the other cars receiving a five-star rating on Wednesday was Mercedes-Benz's EQE electric sedan (below).

The EQE's driver assistance system — including one that moves the car to the slowest lane on a highway and brings it to a halt if the driver becomes unresponsive — made it the highest-scoring car so far for assisted-driving functions, Euro NCAP said.