In the push towards environment-friendly mobility, Green NCAP, a subsidiary of NCAP has decided to rate cars based on their impact on our planet through a series of efficiency tests. These include clean air and energy efficiency tests conducted in a laboratory and on the road.

The aim of the Green NCAP is to motivate manufacturers to make even more Eco-friendly cars and provide useful information to consumers who want to opt for a greener car. At this stage, Green NCAP only considers energy used while driving but eventually it hopes to measure the entire life-cycle of the car which includes energy used in production to scrapping and recycling.

“For years, there has been a mismatch between the way cars perform in regulatory tests and how they perform on the road.  Consumers often don’t get the fuel economy officially claimed for their vehicles and end up paying for the difference in fuel.  Now, legislation is tightening-up, but consumer testing can complement it and go a step further: it can really encourage car manufacturers to beat their competitors by innovating in the field of energy efficiency and emission reduction.  We’re confident that they will respond to the challenge, to the benefit of car-buyers and the environment.” Pierre Castaing, Chairman of Euro NCAP, said.

Some of the cars that have already been tested include the BMW i3 which earned the maximum five star rating, VW up! GTI which claimed four stars, BMW X1 2,0d and Mercedes-Benz A200 rated at three stars, the Ford Fiesta 1,0 EcoBoost earning two stars and the Audi A7 50 TDI, Volvo XC40 T5 and Subaru Outback 2,5 donning one star. Cars that got a zero rating include the Fiat Panda 1,0 and Volkswagen Golf 1,6 TDI.

For the time being, Green NCAP recommends electric cars for those who want the greenest option as they are the cleanest and most efficient but driving range will soon be included into the assessment which may alter these results.

For more on the results, you can click here.

Original article from Car