Our verdict
With the safety equipment fitted as standard equipment across the model range, the Cupra Raval demonstrated good performance in each of the four stages of safety, leading to a four-star rating. The car with the optional safety pack offers predictive adaptative cruise control and front traffic alert.
Safe Driving
The Raval scored full points for ensuring correct driver seatbelt use: it correctly identifies misuse, such as a belt worn behind the driver's back, and has a seatbelt reminder for all rear seats. The front passenger airbag can be manually disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position. The Raval does not have a system to recognise if the front passenger is sitting in a position that would be dangerous in an accident, with their feet on the dashboard, for example. However, the car can identify the stature of the front seat occupants and adapt the restraint systems accordingly. The Raval does not have a child presence detection system to warn if a child has been left in the car.The driver monitoring system scores well, both for distraction and for impairment. Good use is made of physical controls such as buttons and switches, both for key driving controls and infotainment. Based on a test drive of some 2000 km through Italy, France and Spain, the speed limit information function correctly identified the limit in 80 percent of cases, equivalent to some 92 percent of the driving distance.
Crash Avoidance
The Raval has all of the latest crash avoidance systems. Its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system far exceeds the requirements of legislation and performs well in many of the advanced test scenarios required by Euro NCAP. The car has a system to prevent 'dooring', where a door is opened into the path of a cyclist approaching from behind.
Crash Protection
Protection was good or adequate for all occupants in the frontal offset test. Good protection was provided to both of the child dummies, sitting in the rear seats, and to the small female in the front passenger seat. In the full-width test, protection of all critical body areas was good for all occupants and maximum points were scored. Additional data and validated computer modelling demonstrated good protection in most of the various combinations of test configuration and occupant stature. Overall, the Raval scored well for the robustness of the protection it offered.Full points were scored in the side barrier test, but chest protection was rated as marginal in the more severe side pole impact, based on dummy readings of rib compression. The Raval has a centre airbag to mitigate occupant to occupant injuries in side impacts. The airbag performed well, with good protection for both occupants in the side pole test.Protection of of the head of a struck pedestrian or cyclist was mostly good or adequate, with poor results recorded at the base of the windscreen and on the stiff windscreen pillars. Maximum points were scored for the protection offered to the pelvis, the femur and the knee and tibia.
Post Crash
The Raval drops only a few out of a maximum 100 points in Post Crash Safety. In the event of a crash, the advanced eCall system provides detailed information to the emergency services regarding the type and severity of the accident, and the occupants in the car. Good provision is made for speedy extrication by first responders.
For a detailed breakdown of scores and assessment results across all four stages of safety, see the full Euro NCAP datasheet.