The next-generation Ford Transit Courier has achieved the highest ever safety rating by independent safety authority Euro NCAP, becoming the first van to be awarded the platinum award.

Thorough testing of the van and its safety technology led to Euro NCAP stating that the vehicle had “all-round excellent performance” with “a lot of safety equipment available, almost all of it standard equipment on all grades, and this generally works well.”

Euro NCAP places a high value on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that can help prevent or mitigate the effects of such accidents is so crucial, especially as crashes involving vans tend to be more severe for their opponent vehicles, with a large percentage of accidents due to loss of control, in head-on and rear-end crashes.

With the same crash avoidance technology as its passenger-car counterparts, euro NCAP says that the Ford Transit Courier easily meets its requirements for a platinum rating.

The new van scored maximum points for its lane support technologies, which include a lane-keeping system and a blind spot information system. A perfect score was also recorded for speed assistance systems, including Intelligent Speed Assist.

Ford Transit Courier safety testing at Euro NCAP

The platinum rating applies to all N1-category versions of the Transit Courier — including the petrol-and diesel-powered models we’ll be testing in January — and the electric E-Transit Courier that begins production next year.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP secretary general, said: “Euro NCAP strongly encourages van manufacturers to equip their vehicles with the same crash avoidance technology that is already available on the market and fitted to passenger cars. The Ford Transit Courier delivers on this with almost all of its safety equipment available as standard and hence becomes Euro NCAP’s first platinum award winner under the new 2023 rules. Congratulations to Ford on this result!”

The Transit Courier joins other highly rated Ford LCVs, with the Transi, E-Transit and Transit Custom receiving gold awards in 2021.

Phil Huff
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