Shanghai-based Nio Group‘s sub-brand Firefly, which started deliveries of its compact EV model earlier this year, secured on Monday a five-star safety rating at both Euro NCAP and China’s C-NCAP.
The model achieved 96% for Adult Occupant Protection — the highest among all models reviewed so far this year — and 87% for Child Occupant Protection — where it drops to the 17th position out of the 46 vehicles rated.
When it comes to Vulnerable Road Users, Firefly is the tenth safest vehicle, with 82%, while Safety Assist technologies pulls it back up to the sixth position among its competitors, with a 86% rating.
China’s NCAP safety rating for Firefly has also been released on Monday.
The vehicle was rated five stars, with Occupant Protection at 89.5%, Vulnerable Road User Protection at 79.4% and Active Safety at 88.6%.
In late July, the company had set the highest scores in the latest C-IASI (China Insurance Automotive Safety Index) evaluation.
The compact SUV secured all four G Ratings in China’s crash test — in crashworthiness and repair economy, in occupant protection, pedestrian protection, and safety assist.
Considering all aspects, the top five safest vehicles according to the Euro NCAP are the Tesla Model 3 sedan, the Firefly debut model, the Smart #5 crossover, the Lynk & Co 02 small family car and the Polestar 3 SUV.
Its direct competitor in Europe, the city compact Renault 5 EV, was ranked four stars — with 80% in Adult Occupant and Child Occupant Protection, plus 76% in Vulnerable Road Users and 68% in Safety Assist.
The cheaper BYD Dolphin Surf, which launched in Europe three months ago, also ranked five starts, with Adult and Child Occupant Protection at 82% and 86%, respectively.
Vulnerable Road Users was at 76% and Safety Assist was at 77%.
Compared to all the forty-six models ranked in 2025, however, the Dolphin Surf places 29th. The Renault 5 was tested in 2024.
Over the past years, Euro NCAP has tested several Nio brand models, including the ES8, EL7 (ES7), EL6 (ES6) SUVs, and the ET7 and ET5 sedans. All of them achieved the top five-star safety rating.
The Nio EL6, tested most recently, achieved the highest Adult Occupant Safety score at 96%, while the ES8 had the lowest at 82%.
In Child Occupant Protection, results were closer: most models scored 85%, with the ET7 slightly higher at 87% and the ES8 slightly lower at 84%.
For Safety Assist, the ES8 and ET7 performed best with scores above 90%, while the EL6, EL7, and ET5 scored lower, ranging from 76% to 81%.
Firefly has debuted in China by the end of 2024, with its first model being launched in April.
The company recently began deliveries in Europe, starting with Norway and the Netherlands.
The Nio Group currently operates in five European countries — Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden — and recently debuted in Belgium, where Nio and Firefly vehicles will arrive showrooms on September 20.
The company will launch in more than a dozen new European markets over the next 18 months, including Austria, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, the Czech Republic, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, among others.
