The new BMW iX3 nails five stars in Euro NCAP's stricter 2026 crash test
A crucial car for BMW passes its toughest test
Hot on the heels of the Zeekr 7GT doing the same, BMW's important new iX3 has earned a full five-star Euro NCAP rating under the demanding 2026 test protocol. As the first model of BMW's Neue Klasse era, the electric SUV had a lot riding on this, and it delivered a strong, well-rounded result.
The scores
Tested on 8 July 2026 in iX3 50 xDrive form, the car earned five stars across the new protocol's four phases: 86 percent for crash protection, 83 percent for crash avoidance, a near-perfect 95 percent for post-crash safety and 73 percent for safe driving. That mirrors the pattern we saw with the Zeekr 7GT under the same new test, with the post-crash phase again the standout, and safe driving the lowest of the four.
Where it shines
There is plenty to praise. The iX3 scored a perfect 100 percent in the side-impact tests, helped by a centre airbag that protects occupants from each other in a far-side crash, and earned maximum points for rear child protection. Euro NCAP highlighted its wide array of crash-avoidance kit, including autonomous emergency braking that far exceeds legal requirements, blind-spot monitoring, reverse AEB, lane keeping and a clever cyclist dooring-prevention system. Its driver monitoring for distraction and impairment was rated highly, and the traffic-sign recognition correctly read the limit 86 percent of the time.
Clever post-crash thinking
The near-perfect post-crash score reflects some genuinely smart engineering. The iX3's flush door handles default to the deployed position in an emergency, and mechanical releases mean the doors still open even if the electrics fail completely, which matters for both occupants and rescuers. Its advanced emergency call system also transmits not just the car's location but its direction of travel, information that can speed up the response on a motorway. It is exactly the kind of detail that separates a good result from a great one.
Not quite flawless
It is not a perfect scorecard. Euro NCAP found only a few areas where the iX3 offered good protection to the head or pelvis of pedestrians and cyclists, dragging down the vulnerable-road-user side of things. It also does not monitor whether occupants are wearing seatbelts or sitting out of position, and steering assistance is only optional rather than standard. None of that dents the five stars, but it shows there is still room to sharpen the package.
AutoNext Take
This is an important box ticked for BMW. The iX3 is the car that kicks off the whole Neue Klasse family, its design and tech feeding into everything from the new X5 up, so a top safety result under the strictest-ever protocol is exactly the reassurance buyers want. The post-crash cleverness, working door releases without power and an eCall that reports your direction, is the sort of thoughtful engineering we love to see. It is not flawless, with pedestrian protection the obvious area to improve, but as a statement of intent for BMW's electric future it is a confident one. Fitting, given how much rides on the Neue Klasse rollout that includes the new X5 and iX5. It also lands as the EU tightens safety rules with a new batch of mandatory features from July.
