Is the 2025 Kia EV3 Safe Enough? Euro NCAP Results Breakdown

The 2025 Kia EV3 has officially gone through its Euro NCAP crash test assessment, and the results paint a well-rounded picture of what drivers and families can expect from Kia’s small electric sport utility vehicle. Tested in its 150 kilowatt, front-wheel-drive version, the EV3 scored an overall strong performance across multiple categories—though not without a few caveats.

Starting with adult occupant safety, the Kia EV3 received a solid score of 83 percent. In frontal crash testing, the structure of the vehicle remained stable. Dummies showed good protection for knees and femurs, but Kia received a penalty because femur loads exceeded Euro NCAP’s limits, making it unclear how well passengers of different sizes might fare. One area of concern was the driver’s airbag, which did not prevent the head from contacting the steering wheel fabric—this dropped its head protection score to “adequate.”

Side crash protection, however, was a major win. The EV3 earned maximum points in the side barrier test and performed well in the more severe side pole test, with only marginal chest protection due to rib compression. Whiplash protection was good for the front seats but only marginal in the rear, based on geometric analysis. The car also includes advanced eCall, a multi-collision brake system, and passed submergence escape criteria.

Child occupant protection was another highlight, with the EV3 scoring 84 percent. It performed exceptionally in crash tests simulating six and ten year old children in both frontal and side impacts. A clear win here is the easy installation of child restraint systems, including Isofix and i-Size in appropriate seating positions. Although the EV3 lacks a child presence detection system, it does offer an airbag cut-off switch for the front seat and provides clear status indicators.

For protection of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, the EV3 managed a respectable 77 percent. The front of the car offered mostly adequate protection for legs and pelvis areas, although the windscreen edges and pillars posed a higher risk to the head in the event of impact. Autonomous emergency braking systems performed adequately for pedestrians and well for cyclists, while response to motorcyclists was also acceptable. However, cyclist dooring prevention was not present, which slightly affected the overall safety assist rating.

Safety assist features rounded out the EV3’s performance with a 67 percent score. It is equipped with intelligent speed assistance, a direct eye-monitoring system for fatigue and distraction, lane keeping and emergency lane support, and an autonomous emergency braking system using radar and camera inputs. While the AEB system worked adequately for most real-world car-to-car scenarios, the standout was the lane support system, which scored high for both interface and performance.

The EV3 tested was the 58.3 kilowatt-hour variant, but the rating applies to all Kia EV3 models, including the longer-range 81.4 kilowatt-hour version. Both left-hand and right-hand drive variants are included in the score.

To sum it up, the 2025 Kia EV3 may not be the top of its class in every category, but it brings a lot of safety confidence to a rapidly growing segment. Families will appreciate the solid child protection performance, while tech-savvy drivers will find comfort in the suite of advanced safety systems that come standard. There are some areas where Kia can improve, such as pedestrian head impact zones and child presence alerts, but overall, the EV3 delivers a balanced safety package that should meet the needs of most drivers.