This week iProfessional took part in a clinic for journalists where LatinNCAP directors showed what the new protocols will come into force It comes into force on January 1, 2026 and is valid until December 2029.
The lecture was given by the Uruguayan engineer Alejandro FurasSecretary General of this unit, who emphasized at the beginning of the conference that the LatinNCAP is the only organization of GlobalNCAP which is not supported by any government. “This shows what traffic safety policy looks like in Latin America.”
Likewise, Furas suggested the idea of creating a species “security label” Just as food with black octagons did, at least for the 10 or 20 best-selling cars in each market: “It would be good if this information were collected on a website where…” The potential car buyer knows what level of safety each vehicle hasat least for the most popular models with the highest sales volume,” he concluded.
The new protocol will come into force on January 1, 2026
It should be noted that the organization has more than rated with the current protocol 200 models sold in the regionof that At least 72% of published results resulted in improvementsSome of them looked at critical security vulnerabilities.
What changes in the new crash tests for cars and trucks?
According to Latin NCAP, there is a tightening of the new protocols would like to accompany the concept of “safer vehicles”., particularly in the Latin American and Caribbean markets, where regulations remain very weak.
From 2026, the requirements for obtaining stars will be increased, while the lack of basic safety aspects will be penalized and the four main rating areas will be retained: Protection of adult inmates, Protection of pedestrians and vulnerable road users, Safety assistance systems And Protection of child occupants.
In this sense, the side and side pile impact tests are strengthened. For them, a new dummy with better biofidelity will be used, the side impact will be carried out at 60 km/h (10 km per hour more than the protocol in force until the end of the year) and an impact barrier of 1,400 kg will be used, 400 kilos heavier than the current one.
The crash tests will be carried out at a higher speed than before
Additionally, The side impact of the bar will increase from 29 to 32 km/h and the impact angle of the bar is oblique 75 degrees. This represents a more compromised scenario to ensure occupant safety.
Adult rear seat safety assessment is also included to drive urgent improvements to restraint systems, including the use of pretensioners and force limiters on rear seat belts. Aside from that, The rear seat whiplash rating has been added, expanding the adult protection rating in the rear seat in relation to front, side and rear impacts.
A novelty is the installation of a new item in vehicles with a high center of gravity. The evaluation of the roof resistance in the event of rollovers is supplemented in an exploratory and informative manner, However, it has no influence on the score.
The evaluations are also being expanded so that rescue after an accident is possible safer, more efficient and easierand difficult access to the vehicle and extraction of the occupants are punished, as are unfastening the seat belt and the absence of a rescue leaflet, while technologies such as the emergency call service (eCall) are rewarded.
The focus will be on child protection
What happens to child safety measurement?
In this section, Latin NCAP announced the scope of the child occupant protection assessment From 2026 it will be expanded to include older children10 years, for frontal and side impact tests and replaces the previous 18-month dummy for dynamic tests.
With the 10 year old dummywhich is installed in a child seat and by removing the side protection included in it, the safety of children can be assessed by focusing on the quality of the vehicle’s restraint systems and the side head protection provided to children of this age and size. “The manufacturer is expected to improve front and side protection for adult occupants and children in the rear seat,” the organization said.
Likewise the lack of Isofix or i-Size anchors for child seatsas well as the inability to deactivate the passenger airbag will significantly reduce the chance of achieving acceptable results.
Driving assistance systems will be central to the new protocol
ADAS will add additional points
In Safety assistance systems The speed requirement for the moose test will be increased and failure to pass these tests at different speeds will result in a loss of points. Low and high speed AEB (autonomous emergency braking) ratings and Path support systemss will include more demanding scenarios in terms of test configuration.
Likewise, Blind Spot Detection (BSD) will be evaluated in new scenarios to enable the implementation of robust systems of this important technology, and Latin NCAP will award additional points to the models that offer technologies such as an alcohol detection system connector, a driver monitoring system and advanced seat belt warning systems.
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