In the latest round of crash tests conducted by Euro NCAP, Mercedes-Benz EQE electric sedan scored a perfect 5-stars, securing 95 per cent in adult occupancy, 91 per cent in child occupancy and 81 per cent in safety assist. The model tested is the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ in the Left-Hand-Drive (LHD) format, which also happens to be the base version in the EQE electric sedan range. According to Mercedes-Benz, the EQE 350+ is a sophisticated, all-electric, mid-size luxury sedan that exceeds expectations in terms of technical innovation, passenger comfort, driving dynamics, and safety.
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During the test, it was reported that the passenger compartment of the EQE remained stable in the frontal offset test as the dummies demonstrated good protection of the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger. The analysis of the deceleration of the impact trolley during the test, and analysis of the deformable barrier after the test, revealed that the EQE would be a moderately benign impact partner in a frontal collision. In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of all critical body areas was good or adequate for both the driver and the rear passenger. In both the side barrier test and the more severe side pole impact, protection of all critical body areas was good, and the car scored maximum points in this part of the assessment.
Additionally, the control of excursion (the extent to which a body is thrown to the other side of the vehicle when it is hit from the far side) was found to be adequate. The EQE has a countermeasure to mitigate occupant-to-occupant injuries in such impacts. The system performed well in Euro NCAP’s test, with good protection of occupants’ heads. The tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision. Moreover, the EQE has an advanced eCall system which alerts the emergency services in the event of a crash. The car also has a system which applies the brakes after an impact to avoid secondary collisions.
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For child safety, both the frontal offset test and the side barrier impact, dummy readings indicated good protection of all critical body areas for both child dummies and the EQE scored maximum points in this part of the assessment. The front passenger airbag is automatically disabled when a rearward-facing child restraint is put in that seating position. Tests showed that the system worked robustly, and the system was rewarded. All the restraint types for which the EQE is designed could be properly installed and accommodated.
As far as the overall safety of the car goes, the EQE has an ‘active’ bonnet. Sensors in the bumper detect when a pedestrian has been struck and actuators lift the surface of the bonnet to provide greater clearance to the stiff structures in the engine compartment. Head protection on the bonnet surface was almost entirely good or adequate, with poor results recorded at the base of the windscreen and on the stiff windscreen pillars. The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system can respond to vulnerable road users, as well as to other vehicles.
