The CUPRA Formentor, the first model designed and developed exclusively by the brand, has been awarded the maximum five-star safety rating by independent testing organisation, Euro NCAP.

The Formentor is the first vehicle homologated and tested as a CUPRA vehicle and it underwent Euro NCAP’s latest test procedures which include a stricter set of requirements in order to achieve the best ratings.

But the CUPRA Formentor scored highly in all areas with an Adult Occupant score of 93 per cent, Child Occupant 88 per cent, Vulnerable Road User 68 per cent and Safety Assist 80 per cent.

A suite of safety and convenience technologies make the CUPRA Formentor safer to live with on a daily basis.

Systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking, Side and Exit Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, Traffic Jam Assist, Light Assist and Pre-Crash Assist.

Add to these the integration of seven airbags, including a standard front-central airbag, Front Assist with vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist detection, Emergency Steering and Junction Assist, Lane Assist and Emergency e-Call, and the CUPRA Formentor delivers one of the safest vehicles available.

Dr Werner Tietz, Executive Vice-President for Research and Development at CUPRA and SEAT, said: “CUPRA is taking huge steps as it grows as a standalone brand and facing Euro NCAP’s safety tests for the first time is the next stage in its development.

“It’s a milestone, but a challenging one, as the safety organisation’s testing regime has changed significantly, but the CUPRA Formentor is designed to rise to the occasion.”

The vehicle faced a series of tests including the new moving barrier to moving car frontal crash test. The new test replaces the moderate off-set deformable barrier test and helps evaluate occupant protection as well as how the vehicle’s front structure reacts in a crash scenario.

Euro NCAP has also updated the side impact test, which now includes changes to the near-side barrier test speed and mass, making the test even more severe. Additionally, the introduction of far-side impact protection test helps evaluate the interaction between driver and the front seat passenger.

A greater emphasis on driver assistance systems and crash prevention technologies by Euro NCAP includes the Safety Assist Assessment, which looks at areas including driver fatigue and distraction in relation to Driver Status Monitoring systems. New tests have been introduced to test AEB functionality in reversing scenarios and turning at a crossing.

The CUPRA Formentor is the first vehicle from the brand to face Euro NCAP safety tests. The organisation re-evaluates it testing practices every two years, and last year’s new regulations have made them the strictest and most thorough to date.